Ericsson Canada and Concordia extend research project to enhance security of mobile network infrastructure

MONTREAL, September 18, 2025 — Today, Ericsson Canada announced the continuation of its long-standing collaboration with Concordia University through a newly awarded NSERC Alliance grant. This new five-year project will focus on advancing research to enhance secure cloud-native telecommunications networks, a critical step forward in ensuring the resilience of mobile networks as part of Canada’s national infrastructure, and further positioning Ericsson as a trusted partner.

This initiative reflects the strong partnership between Ericsson and Concordia University– Ericsson’s first Tier 1 university partner in North America. The research will engage industry experts from Ericsson, Concordia University professors, and graduate students, to develop innovative security technologies and solutions for mobile networks focusing on radio access and core.

“As a trusted ecosystem partner, Ericsson Canada is committed to leading the development of secure, resilient, and future-ready mobile networks,” said Nishant Grover, President of Ericsson Canada. “This new project continues our collaboration with Concordia University and brings to life our shared vision of creating security solutions that address the changing environment of cloud-native telecommunications.”

“The relevance of security and availability is emphasized as mobile networks become an integral part of society,” added Eva Fogelström, Director Security at Ericsson Research. “Our long-standing and fruitful collaboration with Concordia University contributes to defining security solutions for 5G and 6G, preparing for future needs.”

Ericsson Canada is dedicated to leveraging industry-academia partnerships to drive innovation in critical technologies like 5G, 6G, cybersecurity, AI, and cloud computing. This extended collaboration with Concordia University underscores a mutual commitment to driving network security forward on the global stage.

Advancing Research in Telecommunications Security

As a Tier 1 university partner, Concordia is part of Ericsson’s global academic network, designed to drive impactful technological advances and thought leadership. The NSERC program will focus on developing new security solutions for cloud-native networks to protect critical infrastructure, sharing knowledge through publications in leading global security journals and conferences, and fostering Canadian technology talent with 16 new graduate research positions.

The project will be led by Lingyu Wang, affiliate professor at the Concordia Institute for Information Systems Engineering, as primary investigator, with professors Mourad Debbabi and Suryadipta Majumdar serving as co-investigators. Their research will address the security and stability of cloud-native technology as it becomes central to the evolution of 5G and the transition to 6G. The grant will advance innovation in cybersecurity while creating new opportunities for highly skilled graduate researchers in a strategically important field.

This new chapter of the Ericsson-Concordia partnership builds on the impressive achievements of the 2019–2024 NSERC Industrial Research Chair (IRC) program, which delivered high-impact research on privacy, attack investigations, and vulnerability patching, with findings shared at leading global security conferences.

Over 70 Years of Connecting Canadians

For over 70 years, Ericsson Canada has been a cornerstone of the nation’s innovation ecosystem, supporting communication service providers through each mobile technology generation. Ericsson is also a key partner in the national ecosystem network aimed at fostering 5G adoption and collaboration in Canada. With R&D centers and offices in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto, Ericsson Canada is among the leading R&D spenders in the country – averaging $345 million per year. The company’s commitment to global innovation in network sustainability is driven by its investments in R&D here in Canada and through partnerships with Environment and Climate Change Canada and leading academic institutions, focusing on how AI and other technology can help achieve climate action goals.