Ericsson named David Hammarwall, an executive within its Americas division, to lead its Business Area Networks division, succeeding Per Narvinger, who is lined up to replace Borje Ekholm as CEO.

Hammarwall is currently head of Customer Unit T-Mobile in Market Area Americas, a position he has held since 2023. He joined Ericsson in 2007 and worked in various roles including as the heads of Product Area Networks, Product Line Radio and Product Line 5G RAN.

The appointment is due to take effect on 1 October, when current Networks chief Narvinger steps into the role of CEO. Hammarwall will also join Ericsson’s executive team.

Narvinger said Hammarwall had been a key leader in driving Ericsson’s technology.

Hammarwall added he takes on leadership of the networks unit at an interesting time, “where Ericsson is truly setting a new standard for network intelligence with AI in RAN by bringing powerful AI capabilities to service providers”.

“I’m very much looking forward to working with all the talented Network employees and to meet customers and partners to create outstanding value.”

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Ericsson kept the heat on in a bid to be a frontrunner in 6G technology, though separately detailed a move at the recent FIA Formula 1 race in Japan showing it is keeping 5G firmly in its sights.

The vendor stated work to optimise RAN energy consumption under the Intention 6G programme is now at a mid-point. The initiative is a €12 million move contributing to decarbonisation targets set in the France 2030 scheme and is co-funded by domestic bank Bpifrance.

Ericsson explained the project targets delivering optimal RAN energy use while still meeting the needs of 5G and 6G traffic.

AI is playing a central role, driving work involving automating network functions, dynamic energy use and developing infrastructure which can adapt power consumption by itself.

Hitting the mid-point in the development means the focus of Intention 6G is now switching to defining the initial “building blocks”, Ericsson explained.

Christian Leon, head of Ericsson Western Europe, said the project is an example of how its French R&D centre is collaborating with domestic companies to develop networks capable of delivering “tomorrow’s critical use cases and digital transformations”.

French government information explains France 2030 is a €54 billion investment programme covering decarbonisation through technological innovation and promoting companies in key industrial sectors.

Ericsson emphasised the research programme demonstrates the benefits of broad collaboration brought about through public-private partnerships.

Racey.
The vendor today (17 June) separately detailed a trial of standalone 5G its Japanese unit completed with SoftBank Corp during the FIA Formula 1 Grand Prix held at the Suzuka Circuit in March.

Ericsson Japan and SoftBank employed five independent network slices, one of which involved mmWave to boost connectivity at the venue, a set-up the vendor explained enabled quality to be optimised for specific use cases.

The pair deployed tri-band Massive MIMO equipment and various mmWave radios, along with conducting “detailed network design”, all of which upped downlink data rates by 4.1-times and uplink 14.6-times over those SoftBank users received at the event in 2025.

Some base stations employed self-tuning to tweak the performance of individual network slices based on a quality measurement taken every minute.

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Ericsson announced CEO Borje Ekholm (pictured) will step down at the end of September, with current networks chief Per Narvinger set to be elevated to the top job.

Ekholm, who has been at the helm of the Swedish vendor since the start of 2017, will act as an executive adviser at the company when he relinquishes his position, until 15 June 2027.

Incoming boss Narvinger is currently head of Business Area Networks at the vendor, a position he has held since March 2025.

Prior to taking the networks brief, he headed-up its Cloud Software and Services division. He has been at the company his entire career, which started in 1997.

Ericsson chair Jan Carlson said Narvinger brings “deep technical knowledge of our industry as well as extensive commercial experience and has proved himself in several key leadership positions”.

Carlson added the outgoing chief’s tenure of almost a decade was “defined by extraordinary leadership and strategic advancements” asserting the company had solidified its position as a “leading provider of trusted communications networks”.

He credited Ekholm with challenging “traditional thinking” and positioning the company for long-term success.

Challenges
Ekholm joined Ericsson in 2017 during what he described at the time as a period of “intense change”, with the vendor mid-way through a significant restructure.

Reflecting on his time in charge, the executive stated “we have turned Ericsson around and emerged as a global communications and technology leader” since he arrived.

“Today, Ericsson is driving the transformation of mobile connectivity by changing how networks are used and commercialised, and we are leading the industry into the next stage of AI: the physical AI era. It is our ability to innovate, to adapt and to compete globally that continues to define us.”

He backed Narvinger as the “right leader to continue developing this great company”.

The incoming chief described the appointment as a great honour, adding he was taking over at a “pivotal time in our industry”.

“As AI continues to industrialise, this will increasingly require advanced connectivity solutions, an area where Ericsson is leading,” Narvinger said.

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