The two companies will be combining their networks and platforms to enhance cloud-based 5G services.
Nokia and Google Cloud have announced their new partnership to develop new cloud-based 5G radio solutions for enterprises. According to the two companies, they will be combining Nokia’s various radio access network (RAN) and edge cloud technologies with Google Cloud’s edge computing platform and applications ecosystem, which currently runs on Anthos. They will also be working on a number of projects at Nokia’s Espoo headquarters in Finland.
The initial project will focus on integrating Nokia’s 5G virtualized distributed unit (vDU) and virtualized centralized unit (vCU) with Google’s edge platform. The companies will also be testing Nokia’s 5G standalone (SA) network with vCU and 5G core on the Google Cloud Anthos platform through cloud-native deployment. In addition to that, Nokia will be testing its AirFrame Open Edge server to run with Anthos. AirFrame Open Edge is Nokia’s x86 server that is designed to support edge and far-edge cloud deployments. This means that it’s responsible for distributing computing capacity into the network edge, allowing for the implementation of Cloud RAN, Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC), and 5G.
These new technologies are expected to enable businesses to leverage 5G connectivity and services through the power of Nokia’s Open RAN and Cloud RAN and the Google Cloud public cloud infrastructure. Nokia states that this move not only expands its network of partners but also provides communication service providers with the means to efficiently and affordably deploy 5G technology. Organizations have been bracing for the shift to 5G as a number of countries have begun launching 5G pilot networks. As digital transformation continues to accelerate, the demand for cloud-native infrastructure will see an increase among various industries.
Nokia and Google Cloud also collaborated earlier this year to develop cloud-native network functions, 5G edge services, and a 5G core, which they sold to mobile operators. The two companies also brought together Google Cloud Anthos for Telecom and Nokia’s 5G networking capabilities to create an enhanced cloud-native 5G platform. Nokia also announced during that time that it will be moving its on-premises IT infrastructure to Google Cloud for its clients to experience a more comprehensive and integrated user experience.
Nokia’s collaboration with Google is one of three new partnerships the company has signed with major cloud providers, including Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Nokia will be working on developing 4G and 5G private wireless solutions with Microsoft Azure by combining its mobile network technologies (which also include Open RAN) and Microsoft Azure Private Edge Zones—local extensions of the Microsoft Azure cloud. The company’s partnership with AWS will also seek to make its 5G virtual RAN and Open RAN technologies operate via AWS Outposts. The two companies are aiming to enable service providers and businesses to use Nokia RAN through other AWS services as well, including Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2), Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (Amazon EKS), and AWS Local Zones. According to Nokia, joint trials will be held at its Finland facilities.
