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Microsoft Advances Windows 11 Beta Build, Expands Enterprise 5G Management with Ericsson Partnership
Microsoft this week moved forward on two parallel tracks of its Windows strategy, releasing a new Windows 11 Beta Channel preview while unveiling an enterprise-focused 5G laptop management partnership with Ericsson aimed at simplifying connectivity oversight for IT departments.
The company on Tuesday released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7859 to the Beta Channel, delivering incremental feature updates and reliability improvements tied to its current development baseline. In a blog post announcing the release, Microsoft said the build includes both new capabilities and fixes that are being rolled out gradually using Controlled Feature Rollout technology.
"Microsoft 365 Family subscribers will find an option to upgrade to a different 365 plan on the Accounts page within the Settings app," said Microsoft. The company also said the update addresses system tray reliability issues when using the auto-hide taskbar setting and improves Nearby Sharing performance for larger file transfers.
Microsoft emphasized that not all features will appear for every Insider immediately. Capabilities are being enabled in stages, allowing the company to collect telemetry and feedback before expanding availability.
For IT admins keeping an eye on preview builds to gauge what might be coming to production environments, the latest Beta Channel release is another small but steady step in Microsoft's ongoing Windows update rhythm. Build 26220.7859 doesn't introduce sweeping changes, but keeps the pipeline moving with tweaks and refinements that are likely to surface in releases down the line.
In a separate move, Microsoft also rolled out a partnership with Ericsson focused on bringing enterprise-grade 5G management directly into Windows 11 devices. The effort ties Microsoft Intune to Ericsson Enterprise 5G Connect, a platform built to monitor and optimize 5G connectivity while enforcing corporate policies on connected laptops.
According to the two companies, the combined solution lets IT teams use Intune to set up and manage secure connectivity profiles the same way they already handle other endpoint settings. It also handles switching between supported carrier networks automatically, without requiring users to step in or reconfigure anything manually.
“Windows 11 is the optimal enterprise platform for deploying and managing 5G-connected PCs at scale,” said Ian LeGrow, corporate vice president of Core OS at Microsoft, in the joint announcement. “Enterprise IT teams can use Microsoft Intune to seamlessly provision, manage, and secure both devices and 5G connectivity.”
The announcement describes the offering as bringing “enterprise-grade 5G laptop management to Windows 11,” positioning it as a response to the operational challenges organizations face as always-connected PCs become more common in hybrid work environments.
The rollout is starting with pilot deployments on select Surface Copilot+ PCs that come bundled with Microsoft 365 and Intune. Early availability includes the United States through a partnership with T-Mobile and Sweden with Telenor, and the companies said more markets across Europe and Asia are expected to come online in 2026.
By building 5G management into the Windows and Intune tools IT teams already use, Microsoft is aiming to give admins the same level of control and visibility over cellular-connected laptops that they've long had with Wi-Fi and wired networks.