Airbus and Ericsson to Fully Deploy Private 5G for Factories on a Global Scale

European aircraft giant Airbus announced in October 2025 that it has installed a private 5G network at its Hamburg, Germany plant in cooperation with Ericsson. The company is also installing the network at its Toulouse plant in France (to be completed by 2026) and plans to roll it out in the UK, Spain, the U.S., Canada, and other locations in the future.

Airbus has been operating private LTE on an experimental basis, and this 5G deployment is an enhancement and extension of the existing system. The new 5G network has a modular structure and API-driven interfaces for easy integration with existing systems and enhanced security controls. Potential applications include the use of 3D simulation and augmented reality (AR) at manufacturing sites, improved parts traceability, and predictive maintenance.

The goal is to migrate the entire industrial network to 5G to ensure unified and ultra-reliable connectivity from the operator's workstation to the aircraft cabin," explained Hakim Achouri, Airbus' 5G representative. The standardization and scalability enabled by this architecture will allow for easy deployment to sites in Europe and around the world," he commented.

In addition to the factory network, the two companies are also conducting joint research and development on connected cabins, 6G, and Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), with a view to strengthening the overall communications infrastructure in the aerospace field.

Materials

• Airbus and Ericsson accelerate industrial digitalization with private 5G deployment at Hamburg and Toulouse plants
• Ericsson, Airbus expand industrial private 5G drive
• Airbus climbs in industrial digitisation with private 5G deployment