R980 Series
Small, versatile 5G router for advanced vehicle and IoT connectivity
The Ericsson Cradlepoint R980 is a compact, ruggedized 5G router optimized for advanced vehicle and IoT connectivity in demanding environments like public safety fleets, transit, field services, and remote assets. It features embedded 5G NR (low/mid-band, dual connectivity with Cat 19 LTE fallback), dual-band concurrent Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), 2x GbE Ethernet ports (LAN/WAN switchable), active GNSS, eSIM support, and dual-modem capability for carrier redundancy and failover.
The Ericsson Cradlepoint R980 is a ruggedized, secure appliance and router that broadens access to the increased speed and performance of 5G to support advanced applications and critical communications. Designed for the 5G future, it is 5G network slicing ready with the deployment flexibility of eSIMs which allow carrier switching without changing physical SIMs. (eSIM will be functional with future NetCloud releases.) It is a ruggedized 5G networking platform able to withstand wide temperature extremes, harsh environments, and hazardous locations while delivering enterprise-class standards of reliability, scalability, comprehensive management, and security. The R980 is available with either Mobile or Ruggedized IoT NetCloud service plans, providing features optimized for the needs of the differing deployments. The R980 also supports NetCloud Exchange and SASE services, which provide Zero Trust Network Access and cellular-optimized SD-WAN.
High-Performance Vehicle Connectivity
The Ericsson Cradlepoint R980 router with an Ericsson NetCloud Mobile service plan provides a ruggedized GNSS/GPS-enabled in-vehicle network solution. When coupled with the Advanced Mobile service plan, it provides threat management, web filtering, application visibility, analytics, and advanced GNSS/GPS functionality such as location tracking and cellular coverage maps. The R980 with SD-WAN provides resilient in-vehicle connections by optimizing traffic across LTE, 5G, 5G stand-alone network slices, satellite, and Wi-Fi as WAN.
Ruggedized IoT Solution
When combined with an Ericsson NetCloud Ruggedized IoT service plan, the R980 provides a versatile, ruggedized 5G router solution for connecting and protecting IoT devices at scale. It can be deployed in a wide range of environmentally harsh IoT use cases such as oil and gas, utility, and smart city infrastructure, in addition to next-gen kiosks, and video surveillance, deployments. The ruggedized design and CBRS band support make it ideal for private networks. In addition, the solution is highly extensible with APIs, SDKs, and integrations into IoT platforms, and the generous memory supports onboard edge containers.
- Embedded 5G NR & Cat 19 LTE — High-speed wireless WAN with fast uploads for video/data — ensures reliable primary or backup connectivity.
- Wi-Fi 6 — Dual-band, dual-concurrent 802.11ax — delivers strong in-vehicle or site-wide wireless performance and multi-device support.
- Ruggedized Metal Form Factor — Designed for extreme conditions (operating -30°C to +70°C / -22°F to +158°F) — withstands vibration, shock, and harsh environments.
- Advanced GNSS — Active multi-constellation with location services — enables precise AVL (Automatic Vehicle Location) and fleet tracking.
- Security & VPN — Unified edge security with zone-based firewall, VPN tunnels (up to 20), and zero-trust options — protects mobile networks.
- Cloud Management — Managed via Ericsson NetCloud (Ruggedized IoT or Mobile plans) — provides zero-touch deployment, real-time diagnostics, analytics, cellular intelligence (health stats, carrier selection, data usage), SASE/zero-trust, edge compute (SDK/Docker), and extensibility (API/third-party integrations).
- Public Safety Ready — FirstNet Trusted, T-Mobile Connecting Heroes, Verizon Frontline certified — prioritizes access on public safety networks.
- Private Network Support — Compatible with CBRS, 4G LTE, and 5G private networks — ideal for dedicated enterprise use.
- Public safety vehicles and emergency response
- Mass transit buses/trains
- Field service/utility fleets
- Remote IoT and fixed assets requiring rugged, flexible connectivity
- Cellular — 5G NR low/mid-band + Cat 19 LTE; dual-modem support; eSIM embedded; PTCRB (U.S.), GCF (global)
- Wi-Fi — Dual-band concurrent 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6)
- Ports — 2x GbE RJ45 (LAN/WAN switchable), 1x USB; serial ports via adapter
- Throughput — Firewall 940 Mbps; VPN tunnels up to 20
- GNSS — Active
- Power — Vehicle-grade; no PoE
- Environmental — -30°C to +70°C; ruggedized metal
- Certifications — Carriers: AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon; public safety: FirstNet Trusted, Verizon Frontline, T-Mobile Connecting Heroes
