# "The proof is in the pudding": Ericsson is back in the defence segment - Source: Nordic Defence Sector (https://nordicdefencesector.com) - Canonical URL: https://nordicdefencesector.com/en/article/the-proof-is-in-the-pudding-ericsson-back-in-the-defence-segment - Published: 2026-09-17 · Updated: 2026-09-21 - Author: Jacob Wollheim - Type: Perspective (opinion/analysis) · Section: Industry · Country: sweden - Language: en — machine translation from sv; the sv version is authoritative: https://nordicdefencesector.com/sv/article/the-proof-is-in-the-pudding-ericsson-back-in-the-defence-segment.md - Also available in: de (https://nordicdefencesector.com/de/article/the-proof-is-in-the-pudding-ericsson-back-in-the-defence-segment.md), dk (https://nordicdefencesector.com/dk/article/the-proof-is-in-the-pudding-ericsson-back-in-the-defence-segment.md), es (https://nordicdefencesector.com/es/article/the-proof-is-in-the-pudding-ericsson-back-in-the-defence-segment.md), fi (https://nordicdefencesector.com/fi/article/the-proof-is-in-the-pudding-ericsson-back-in-the-defence-segment.md), fr (https://nordicdefencesector.com/fr/article/the-proof-is-in-the-pudding-ericsson-back-in-the-defence-segment.md), it (https://nordicdefencesector.com/it/article/the-proof-is-in-the-pudding-ericsson-back-in-the-defence-segment.md), no (https://nordicdefencesector.com/no/article/the-proof-is-in-the-pudding-ericsson-back-in-the-defence-segment.md), pl (https://nordicdefencesector.com/pl/article/the-proof-is-in-the-pudding-ericsson-back-in-the-defence-segment.md) - Tags: ericsson, saab, bae systems hägglunds, w5 solutions, mw group, försvarsmakten, 5g, dual use, nato, bae systems bofors, eurosatory, dalo industry days, drone detection, tactical communications, signal processing > Why is Ericsson back in the defence segment? At Eurosatory and DALO Industry Days, Nordic Defence Sector's editor-in-chief Jacob Wollheim meets Ericsson's new head of defence, Joachim Hammersland, who talks about the company's push into tactical 5G, drone detection and signal processing for the battlefield of the future. ![Joachim Hammersland, new Global Head of Solution Area Defence at Ericsson, at Ericsson's stand at DALO Industry Days](https://imagedelivery.net/XO8UY-c6-LfWgEjQsN8IQw/93bb40b8-d8c3-4fbb-a9e9-1a7f1e5c1500/public) *Joachim Hammersland, new Global Head of Solution Area Defence at Ericsson, at Ericsson's stand at DALO Industry Days · NDS* **Ericsson is back in the defence segment. Over lunch at Eurosatory and coffee at DALO Industry Days, Joachim Hammersland, Global Head of Solution Area Defence, explains why the company is now once again investing in the defence market and what role it could play on the battlefield of the future.** *The trip to DALO Industry Days is sponsored by BAE Systems Bofors* **Could you briefly introduce yourself, and what you bring to Ericsson?** "I was very clear that I didn't have a heavy telecoms background when I started," says Joachim Hammersland. He raised this directly with Per Narvinger, Ericsson's incoming President and CEO and current head of the Networks business area. Narvinger was not concerned, Hammersland recounts: there were already 90,000 other people at the company with telecoms backgrounds. "It's my thirty-plus years in the defence industry that have been decisive in why I'm joining Ericsson today." His background includes 22 years at Saab, five years at BAE Systems Hägglunds, MW Group, and most recently W5 Solutions. What he brings with him, he says, is an understanding of how defence deals are actually done. "Defence business differs somewhat from the way Ericsson has built its efficient machine for creating telecoms business. That's where I have a lot of experience to bring. I think that's why they hired me." **Ericsson sold its defence operations to Saab in the 2000s. Now you're taking a major step back into the defence segment, moving away from *dual use* and into dedicated defence. Is this mainly about leveraging the existing product portfolio, or developing something new?** "I should perhaps correct you on one point," says Hammersland. "Ericsson's products are primarily developed for civilian mobile networks and have long been classified as *dual use*, but with 5G there is significant potential within the defence sector. What we need to look at now is whether our *dual use* policy will continue to support our business, or whether we need to review it. But a great deal of what Ericsson does today is extremely relevant to defence as well." Ericsson's existing defence business is built on private 5G networks, or sliced sections of public networks, with connectivity up to secret classification level, and the company has agreements with the armed forces of a number of countries. Beyond that, the company is now working in two new directions. "One is sensing: using 5G technology as a radar system," he says. "Above all, we're looking at detecting small drones flying fast and at low altitude. Our first trials show that the technology is already extremely effective, and it builds on technology Ericsson already has." The second track is tactical communications: mobile, deployable 5G that can move with units, with coverage enhancement, and with resilient and secure connectivity. **What will your role specifically involve, and how will you reach the market?** "I lead a global organisation whose entire purpose is to review and expand Ericsson's defence business," Hammersland explains. It's about making the best use of what Ericsson already has, while building bridges where the company needs to work differently, and supporting the company's market areas and country units in approaching the defence market worldwide, starting from the home market of Sweden and perhaps the United States. The route to the customer runs in several directions at once, he explains. "We need to talk to the end users and understand the needs of the Armed Forces. In some cases, ministries of defence will handle procurement directly with Ericsson. In other cases we'll go through systems integration partners who have command and control systems and effectors that we don't have, while we offer the sensors, in this case 5G-based sensors. And we'll also work with the operators. There's no question about that." **Last year the North Star project was introduced, together with Telia and the Swedish Armed Forces. What was that, and what did you learn?** "The telecom operators have fantastic infrastructure," says Hammersland. What Telia and the Swedish Armed Forces did together with Ericsson was to make use of much of the existing Swedish telecoms infrastructure, but with separate cores, a dedicated network, so that sufficiently secret and classified information can be sent without risk of information leakage. "This is what we call the Nordic model. We're noticing here at Eurosatory that other operators are very interested in it." He distinguishes between two domains. Strategic 5G is the fixed infrastructure, often with national coverage, the backbone of the communications network. Tactical 5G is the mobile element, closer to the front line. Previously there was also talk of operational 5G, but that complicates the picture, he argues, and Ericsson prefers to stick to strategic and tactical. **NATO has communication links such as Link 16 and Link 22. Does 5G compete with them, or are they meant to work together?** "Here we need to be extremely humble," says Hammersland. "There isn't just one correct technology. NATO's (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) absolutely most important communication links will continue to exist and develop." Ericsson's contribution lies elsewhere, he argues: creating simple, accessible and secure connectivity on the battlefield, with enough broadband capacity for AI computation, downloading satellite imagery, and rapid situational awareness updates. **Ukraine has demonstrated an extremely electronically contested environment. How does 5G hold up under heavy jamming?** "There are now 58,000 electronic warfare soldiers in Ukraine," says Hammersland. "There were periods when we in the West had almost forgotten to think about the signal spectrum, but it is highly relevant now." 5G technology is already robust, he says. With active beamforming in the radio units, it is possible to steer communications and create silent sectors, but also to quickly detect jamming, shut down those sectors, and relocate the deployable systems. "With the signal processing technology Ericsson has, the entire electronic warfare spectrum is extremely interesting for us." **Sweden recently joined NATO. Does that change the conditions on the defence side?** "Federating networks, as it's nicely put in NATO terminology, is what we at Ericsson call roaming," says Hammersland. "And that's exactly what we're good at." NATO is also driving much of the development towards 5G and 6G, both strategically and tactically. "I truly believe that NATO membership only benefits Ericsson. There are no downsides to it whatsoever." **If we meet again at Eurosatory in 2028, how will you measure whether you've done the right things?** "The proof is in the pudding: it comes down to the commercial results," says Hammersland. "We have to show the market that this is good enough technology to be worth investing in." Both in sensing and in tactical communications, solid customer reference cases are needed, he says, ideally several tactical 5G systems that can federate with one another. He even hopes to be able to demonstrate this on site next time, and perhaps solve a more down-to-earth problem along the way. "It would be a good business opportunity to offer indoor coverage at this venue. The coverage here really is terrible," says Joachim Hammersland, laughing. Beyond 5G, Ericsson is looking at the entire communications spectrum, he adds. Tactical communications isn't just about 5G, but also about integrating radios across other frequency bands, and about connecting units via satellite, so-called non-terrestrial networks (NTN), where ground-based networks are not sufficient. And then there's the electronic warfare domain. This is opening up for Ericsson, Hammersland argues, precisely thanks to the company's strength in signal processing, the same core expertise that makes 5G networks difficult to jam. "Ericsson is perhaps the company in Europe, maybe in the world, that is best at signal processing." ![](https://imagedelivery.net/XO8UY-c6-LfWgEjQsN8IQw/bc75237a-34e6-4e80-14ad-93802115a200/public) ## FAQ **What is Joachim Hammersland's background and why did Ericsson recruit him?** Joachim Hammersland has over thirty years in the defence industry, including 22 years at Saab, five years at BAE Systems Hägglunds, and time at MW Group and W5 Solutions. He was recruited specifically for his understanding of how defence business is conducted, a competence that differs from Ericsson's established telecom business model. Per Narvinger, Ericsson's Deputy CEO, saw no shortcoming in Hammersland lacking a heavy telecom background. Last fact-checked: 2026-09-17. **What two new technical tracks is Ericsson investing in within the defence segment?** Ericsson is investing in sensing, that is, using 5G technology as a radar system to detect small, fast-flying drones at low altitude, and in tactical communication in the form of mobile, deployable 5G that can accompany military units. Both tracks build on technology Ericsson already possesses. Early tests of the sensing technology are described as extremely effective. Last fact-checked: 2026-09-17. **What was the North Star project and what is the resulting model called?** North Star was a project in which Telia and the Swedish Armed Forces, together with Ericsson, utilised existing Swedish telecom infrastructure with separate cores, a dedicated network, to enable the transmission of secret and classified information without risk of information leakage. The model is called the Nordic model and attracted significant interest from other operators at Eurosatory in Paris. Last fact-checked: 2026-09-17. **How does Ericsson's 5G technology relate to NATO's communication links Link 16 and Link 22?** Hammersland emphasises that Ericsson must remain humble about the fact that there is no single correct technology, and that NATO's most important communication links will continue to exist and develop. Ericsson's contribution is complementary: simple, accessible, and secure broadband connectivity on the battlefield with capacity for AI computations, satellite imagery, and rapid situational awareness. The systems therefore do not compete but work together. Last fact-checked: 2026-09-17. **How does Ericsson's 5G technology handle the heavy jamming documented in Ukraine?** Hammersland states that there are 58,000 electronic warfare soldiers in Ukraine, illustrating the complexity of the environment. Ericsson's 5G is already robust thanks to active beamforming, which enables control of communication, the creation of silent sectors, and rapid detection and avoidance of jamming by moving deployable systems. Ericsson's signal processing expertise also makes the entire electronic warfare spectrum of interest to the company. Last fact-checked: 2026-09-17. **Why does Joachim Hammersland believe Sweden's NATO membership benefits Ericsson?** Hammersland compares NATO's network federation to roaming, a core competence Ericsson already masters. NATO is also actively driving development towards 5G and 6G, both strategically and tactically, creating favourable conditions for Ericsson. He sees no disadvantages whatsoever in NATO membership and assesses that it solely benefits the company's defence business. Last fact-checked: 2026-09-17. **How does Hammersland measure success for Ericsson's defence business by Eurosatory 2028?** Hammersland sums up the benchmark with the expression the proof is in the pudding: Ericsson must show the market that the technology is good enough to justify investment. Specifically, he hopes to be able to present solid customer reference cases in both sensing and tactical communication, ideally several federated tactical 5G systems, and preferably demonstrate them on site at Eurosatory 2028. Last fact-checked: 2026-09-17. --- Nordic Defence Sector — independent newsroom covering the Nordic defence sector. When citing, attribute "Nordic Defence Sector" and link https://nordicdefencesector.com/en/article/the-proof-is-in-the-pudding-ericsson-back-in-the-defence-segment. Site guide: https://nordicdefencesector.com/llms.txt