In this CIO Edge presentation, Ericsson Enterprise Wireless APAC CTO John Hopping, explains how modern connectivity struggles to meet today’s digital demands.

He shows how legacy Wi‑Fi cannot support mission‑critical environments, especially those using robotics, automation and remote machinery.

As ADAPT data shows the AI lifecycle must reflect a continuous cycle of adoption and adaptation rather than a static maturity model.

Ericsson Enterprise provides private cellular networks that give stronger coverage, higher reliability and better control for industries such as mining, ports, logistics and manufacturing.

He illustrates this with Newmont’s gold mine in NSW.

Their Wi‑Fi setup allows only a few remote‑controlled dozers to operate and suffers from interference and dropouts.

After switching to a private cellular network, coverage jumps from 100 to 3,000 metres. Productivity doubles and daily material‑movement increases by 25%.

He notes that 44% of Australian organisations now use 5G for AI, and wireless WAN technology can cut WAN downtime events by 60%.

John then outlines Ericsson’s AI‑ready platforms.

These include predictive AI for fault detection, generative AI tools, and agentic AI for automated decision‑making.

He also highlights new edge AI hardware that enables real‑time processing in vehicles and emergency settings.

Zero‑trust adoption reaches 80% in organisations, and Ericsson now holds 25% of the global enterprise wireless market, more than twice its nearest competitor.

John encourages organisations to modernise connectivity to support future AI and robotics workloads.

 

Key takeaways:

  • Private cellular outperforms Wi‑Fi in mission‑critical environments, doubling productivity in cases like Newmont’s mine and extending coverage from 100 to 3,000 metres.
  • AI and robotics demand stronger connectivity, yet only 44% of Australian organisations use 5G for AI, and wireless WAN can reduce downtime by 60%.
  • Ericsson leads the enterprise wireless market with a 25% share, offering AI‑ready platforms, edge AI hardware and zero‑trust‑optimised SD‑WAN to support next‑generation digital operations.
Contributors
John Hopping CTO APAC at Ericsson Enterprise Wireless
John Hopping is an accomplished technology leader with nearly 30 years of experience in the IT and telecommunications industry. As Director of... More

John Hopping is an accomplished technology leader with nearly 30 years of experience in the IT and telecommunications industry. As Director of Sales Engineering for Enterprise Wireless Solutions at Ericsson, he oversees technical strategy and solution design across the Asia Pacific region, helping enterprise clients unlock the power of advanced wireless networks.

John’s extensive career spans leadership and architectural roles across major global organisations. Serving as served as Principal Architect and CTO for APAC at Ericsson, he has led enterprise network transformation initiatives for nearly eight years. He has also held key technical positions at Optus, BT, Procter & Gamble, and Bristol-Myers Squibb, with a strong background in network design, architecture, and enterprise IT infrastructure across both ANZ and EMEA markets.

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