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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Telia identified emergency services, energy, transport, industry and healthcare as target sectors for an IoT connectivity service using standalone (SA) 5G the company launched in Sweden.

The operator asserted Telia Critical IoT Connectivity was the first commercially available product of its type in the country to use the network technology, highlighting it had already rolled out SA 5G widely in the nation.

Pointing to frequently promoted advantages of the network architecture for slicing and provision of low-latency, secure communications, it noted SA 5G enabled smart traffic management, and is optimised for video and data.

These factors ensure “reliable performance for key applications even at peak times”.

Head of B2B at Telia Sweden Fredrik Stenberg said the product creates the conditions for customers to “use new digital solutions in the most critical parts of their operations, where the demands are greatest, without compromising security or control”.

The service has been developed partly using the experience and insights Telia gained from NorthStar 5G, a programme launched alongside Ericsson carrying European Union funding which is focused on increasing uptake of the technology in industry.

Its commercial offer on SA 5G is Telia’s second major IoT product announcement in the space of a month.

In May it unveiled Telia IoT Connect, a service providing sovereign infrastructure aimed at companies and authorities requiring secure and resilient communications while keeping all data within Sweden.

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