Ericsson Renews 10-year Global Host Agreement

The IETF, as an open standards body, brings together a diverse community of engineers, researchers, and technologists to collaboratively develop the protocols that make the Internet work. Many of the technologies developed within the IETF are foundational to the products and services Ericsson builds every day. 

Technologies such as TLS 1.3 (Transport Layer Security), which helps keep online communications private and secure; HTTP/3, the protocol that powers the Web; and QUIC, a next-generation transport-layer protocol are just a few examples of IETF innovations that are central to what we do at Ericsson. Technologies such as IPv6, EVPN (Ethernet VPN), Segment Routing, and MPLS are essential to the support, function, and deployment of current and future mobile networks. Further, the IETF’s YANG development and modeling activities are a critical part of the management modeling foundation for packet and optical transport networks. This foundation not only forms the basis for advanced management and automation, including the application of AI to network management and operation, but also provides the base on which other industry recognized centers of competence (e.g., IEEE 802, ITU-T SG15, 3GPP, O-RAN Alliance, and others) build their YANG data models for advanced management.

Looking ahead, we are actively exploring new areas of innovation where the IETF is playing a key role. This includes enhancing the collaboration between networks and applications through initiatives such as Standard Communication with Network Elements (SCONE). Several technologies are likely to be directly applicable in the evolution towards 5G Advanced and 6G, stretching from the Static Context Header Compression (SCHC) header compression work to the Deterministic Networking (DETNET) activities. We are also closely following work around post-quantum security, including the efforts in the Crypto Forum Research Group (CFRG) and the ongoing evolution of TLS, to ensure our systems are prepared for the cryptographic challenges of the future. Additionally, we are engaged in early conversations about the impact of AI on networking, along with interest in emerging efforts like AI Preferences (AIPREF), which explores the interaction of AI with content creators.

Renewing our Global Host agreement is a reflection of our belief in the IETF’s mission and the importance of open, community-driven standards. We are proud to play a role in supporting the IETF’s work, not only by participating in technical discussions, but also by helping provide the infrastructure and resources needed to sustain its global operations. A couple of years ago, we also became the first multi-year gold-level IETF Running Code sponsor, which is another way we contribute to the practical implementation and testing of IETF standards, helping to turn ideas into real-world, deployable technologies.

We look forward to continuing this partnership and contributing to the future of the Internet alongside the IETF and its community.