Nokia expands carrier trials for AI-RAN technology

Nokia expands carrier trials for AI-RAN technology

Nokia says additional mobile operators are participating in proofs of concept and trials intended to advance its work on artificial intelligence-enabled radio access networks, or AI-RAN.

The latest operators working with Nokia are A1 Group, Chunghwa Telecom, du, e&, Mobily, stc, TPG Telecom, and Zain Saudi. Their participation expands Nokia's AI-RAN engagement across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East.

Nokia also said previously announced trials are continuing. Work with operators including NTT Docomo is progressing steadily. Other carriers previously associated with Nokia's AI-RAN activities include BT, Elisa, Vodafone Group, and Orange Group.

The company has also developed partnerships with T-Mobile in the US, Indonesia's Indosat, and Japan's SoftBank Corp. All three operators were highlighted in Nokia's March announcement outlining its plans with Nvidia to develop AI-RAN ahead of the 6G era.

Nokia's first commercial AI-RAN products are not expected to become available until next year. The company has emphasized the importance of working with operators during the trial phase as the technology develops.

According to Nokia, its AI-RAN platform has produced more than 20 percent improvements in spectral efficiency through AI-based radio innovations. The company expects additional gains through 2028.

Nokia said these improvements could help telecommunications operators increase capacity, improve network economics, and create new service opportunities by extracting more value from existing spectrum and infrastructure investments. The approach could also reduce dependence on traditional hardware refresh cycles.

"AI is reshaping the future of telecommunications and creating a significant opportunity for operators to rethink the role of the radio network. Together with Nvidia and our growing ecosystem of partners, we are helping operators transform their networks into intelligent, programmable platforms that can support both connectivity and AI services," said Emma Falck, president of mobile infrastructure at Nokia.

"The increasing engagement we are seeing from service providers around the world shows that AI-RAN is moving quickly from vision to commercial reality and becoming a foundational technology for the AI-native 6G era."

Nokia and Nvidia first agreed to develop AI-ready RAN solutions in 2024, before Nvidia became an investor in Nokia. Ronnie Vasishta, Nvidia's senior vice president of telecom, said AI-RAN could turn mobile networks into distributed AI infrastructure.

"AI-RAN will transform the mobile network into one of the world's largest distributed AI infrastructures. Global operator momentum demonstrates that AI-RAN is becoming the foundation for 5G Advanced today and then software upgradable to AI-native 6G tomorrow," Vasishta said.

The AI-RAN concept emerged in 2024 with the launch of the AI-RAN Alliance. Nokia and Nvidia are both executive members of the alliance.