Ericsson 5G positioning test achieves sub-30cm accuracy using standard hardware

This technical milestone demonstrates that commercial 5G infrastructure can support high-precision spatial awareness previously reserved for specialized satellite hardware. For the streaming and IoT ecosystem, this level of accuracy is critical for synchronizing autonomous systems, drones, and mobile robotics within dense industrial environments. By removing the need for proprietary location systems, Ericsson and MediaTek are lowering the barrier for enterprises to deploy location-aware services at scale. As 5G Advanced matures, watch for how device makers integrate these standardized RTK capabilities into consumer-grade hardware to support augmented reality and hyper-local proximity services.

Ericsson has been building a broader portfolio of AI-native and precision capabilities across its 5G platform, positioning the company as a full-stack enabler for industrial and enterprise use cases. In April 2025, Ericsson and Bell Canada completed the world's first field test of AI-native link adaptation, demonstrating up to 20% higher downlink throughput and 10% better spectral efficiency by dynamically adapting radio parameters in real time. That test, conducted at Ericsson's Ottawa R&D center, illustrates how the vendor is layering advanced capabilities onto commercial 5G infrastructure, the same approach underlying the MediaTek positioning trial with RTK correction data delivered over 5G Core.

The commercial opportunity for precision location services sits within a broader 5G ecosystem that analysts expect to grow substantially through the end of the decade. ABI Research forecasts the 5G network slicing market will reach $19.5 billion by 2028, driven by enhanced mobile broadband and fixed wireless access use cases, with Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia, and ZTE all engaged in commercial slicing deployments. High-precision positioning is a natural complement to slicing because industrial customers requiring sub-30cm accuracy for robotics and autonomous systems will likely need dedicated network slices to guarantee the low latency and reliability that RTK correction delivery demands. Rogers ran Canada's first 5G network slicing trial in partnership with Ericsson across Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, dedicating slices to emergency services and separating fixed and mobile traffic, signaling operator appetite for differentiated enterprise connectivity.

On the technical side, the Ericsson and MediaTek demonstration relies on 3GPP Release 16 positioning standards, which define the framework for RTK and other high-accuracy methods over cellular networks. The significance of achieving sub-30cm accuracy on standard 5G modem hardware is that it removes the dependency on proprietary GNSS correction infrastructure or specialized antennas. ABI Research noted that end-to-end 5G slicing requires maturity across the entire ecosystem including core, transport, and vertical industry applications, a constraint that applies equally to positioning services, which must integrate correction data pipelines, edge compute for low-latency delivery, and device-side modem support. MediaTek's role as a leading 5G modem supplier means its integration of Release 16 positioning features could accelerate adoption across the Android device ecosystem, bringing centimeter-level accuracy closer to consumer and industrial IoT form factors.