Nokia Expands AI-RAN Trials with Global Operators, Targeting 20% Efficiency Gains — Nokia Oyj

Event summary

Nokia's AI-RAN platform is now in live trials with operators across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East, including A1 Group, Chunghwa Telecom, and Zain Saudi.
The platform has already delivered over 20% improvements in spectral efficiency, with a roadmap for further gains in 2027 and 2028.
Nokia is collaborating with NVIDIA on AI-RAN platform and software development tools, transforming radio networks into programmable platforms.
Trials with operators like NTT DOCOMO and T-Mobile continue to progress, demonstrating commercial readiness of AI-RAN technologies.

The big picture

Nokia's expansion of AI-RAN trials signals a broader industry shift toward AI-native networks, essential for both 5G and future 6G deployments. The collaboration with NVIDIA underscores the strategic importance of software-defined architectures in improving network performance and operational efficiency. This trend is likely to accelerate as operators seek to maximize the value of their existing spectrum and infrastructure investments.

What we're watching

Technology Adoption: The pace at which global operators will integrate AI-RAN into their existing infrastructure and the scalability of these trials.
Competitive Dynamics: How Nokia's collaboration with NVIDIA will position it against competitors in the race to develop AI-native networks.
Regulatory Impact: Whether regulatory frameworks will adapt to support the deployment of AI-native networks and the associated spectrum requirements.