Ericsson unveils IoT, In-Vehicle solutions to drive enterprise AI

Ericsson has launched two innovative routers—the Ericsson Cradlepoint R980 and S400 —designed to provide enterprises with seamless, secure, and scalable connectivity for enabling AI, computer vision, data analysis, and other advanced applications across IoT environments and vehicle networks. Integrated with Ericsson’s NetCloud platform, including NetCloud SASE Secure Connect, these routers offer seamless deployment, management, and robust, zero-trust security across large-scale IoT and vehicle endpoints.

The Ericsson Cradlepoint R980 is a ruggedized 5G router that delivers high-performance connectivity to vehicles, enabling the deployment of advanced applications such as AI-driven video recognition and real-time data analysis. With the increased use of these technologies in public safety and smart cities, 5G is providing reliable and agile connectivity.

Designed for first responders, near-shore vessels, and school buses, the compact R980 delivers secure and persistent 5G connectivity, even in the most demanding conditions. It can also be leveraged in IoT deployments where video and mission critical applications may require higher performance and lower latency. With its 3rd generation 5G architecture, the R980 is 3GPP Release 16 compatible, ensuring readiness for standalone (SA) networks and network slicing, including public safety slices and low latency network slices for IoT.

The router’s new, embedded e-SIM will enable over-the-air carrier switching in future NetCloud releases, adding deployment flexibility and operational efficiency. This forward-looking design makes the R980 an ideal solution for organizations readying to leverage 5G’s full potential in their vehicle fleets.

Pankaj Malhotra, Head of Enterprise Networking and Cybersecurity Business Line, Enterprise Wireless Solutions, Ericsson says: “As AI and advanced applications continue to transform industries and daily operations, the demand for secure and resilient connectivity beyond traditional branch environments is becoming increasingly critical. With the capabilities of the R980 combined with NetCloud Manager, we’ve integrated security, SD-WAN, and deep visibility into a unified, easily managed system. This industry-first approach is empowering our customers to seamlessly deploy networks that provide enterprise-grade network reliability and security, all while aligning with their unique innovation and business goals.”

Emerging AI applications also rely on gathering data from distributed, widespread IoT devices. As one of the first zero-trust IoT appliances, Ericsson’s Cradlepoint S400 enables secure connectivity for diverse IoT use cases, including light industrial, digital signage, and building controls. As a semi-ruggedized, compact IoT device, its innovative design offers field-expandable interface options such as additional Ethernet ports, a serial port, and a GPIO switch. This adaptability allows IT specialists to tailor the device to specific deployment needs.

To ensure that even small, vulnerable IoT devices, which cannot support traditional security methods, remain secure, the S400 includes NetCloud SASE Secure Connect as a part of its subscription license. Secure Connect enables the deployment of a zero-trust network instantly, providing easy to deploy, comprehensive security for large-scale deployments such as IoT devices and vehicle networks.

In very large vehicle and IoT deployments, IT staff require highly efficient installation and need to resolve performance issues quickly. New Cellular Intelligence features in NetCloud deliver automated processes for deployment and troubleshooting to simplify installation and speed up time to repair. These features include:

Carrier Selection Intelligence (CSI): Automates the process of selecting the best-performing wireless carrier based on criteria like performance, jitter, and latency, optimizing network performance and reducing the need for on-site testing.
Cellular Health Events Monitoring: Delivers deep insights into cellular network performance, helping enterprises troubleshoot issues more effectively by correlating signal trends with changes in carrier tower and bands.
These NetCloud features are available across the Ericsson Cradlepoint portfolio, including the R980 and S400.

"Our customers are increasingly demanding the speed, reliability, and security that 5G and LTE Wireless WAN offer,” says Ed Walton, CEO of STEP, a partner for Ericsson Wireless WAN and Enterprise 5G. "Both the R980 and S400 address our customers’ need for mass-deployment, ensuring optimal performance and security in demanding environments. At STEP, we are always impressed with how NetCloud features continue to evolve to help us to scale our services efficiently, so customers can focus on their core business."

In a separate announcement, Ericsson also revealed a new coverage extension solution for reliable connectivity where wired networking is unavailable or ineffective.