Nokia inked a deal with Google Cloud to jointly develop 5G core and edge products for operators and enterprise, expanding its relationship with the tech giant three months after tapping it to help overhaul its IT infrastructure.
In a joint statement, the companies said the collaboration will marry Nokia’s voice, cloud packet and 5G cores; network exposure function; data management; and signalling with Google Cloud’s Anthos for Telecom platform.
The companies will work to “validate, optimise and evolve cloud-native network functions” and “co-innovate new solutions that will help CSPs deliver 5G connectivity and services at scale”.
They flagged retail and manufacturing as two sectors which stand to benefit.
Ron Haberman, CTO of cloud and network services at Nokia, highlighted the telecom industry’s evolution to virtual network functions, stating new cloud-native features and automation “will enable new agility and use cases in the 5G era”.
Google launched Anthos for Telecom in March 2020, billing it as the cloud equivalent of its Android mobile operating system.
Nokia teamed with Google Cloud in October 2020 to move its on-premise IT infrastructure to the public cloud as part of a bid to cut costs
