Nokia announced that it has been selected by leading Finnish mobile operator Elisa as the nationwide supplier of 5G RAN. Nokia, which will provide its AirScale 5G RAN portfolio, will deliver enhanced ultra-fast, low-latency mobile broadband services to both consumer and enterprise customers. The deal continues Nokia’s long-standing partnership with Elisa into the 5G era and will focus on Elisa’s efforts to digitize Finland and make it a leading global 5G market. Deployment is expected to begin immediately.
To support digitalization in Finland, Nokia will supply its flexible AirScale 5G Radio Access portfolio for enhanced mobile connectivity, as well as additional use cases such as Massive IoT and Ultra-Reliable Low Latency services (URLLC). This strengthens the partnership Nokia and Elisa have in other areas such as Core and IP Networks, as well as in Telco Cloud and IT domain.
The project will also focus on mobile network technology migration so that new radios will serve both 5G and 4G subscribers across the country. Elisa plans to decommission its 3G network by 2023 to support its move to 5G services.
The deal demonstrates Nokia and Elisa’s commitment to sustainability, with Elisa being the first operator to have installed a commercial liquid cooling 5G base station. The solution reduces the potential energy expense of the base station by 30 percent and CO2 emissions by approximately 80 percent. Nokia has delivered zero-emission products to over 150 customers worldwide and is committed to decreasing emissions from its operations by 41 percent by 2030.
Veli-Matti Mattila, CEO at Elisa, said: “We continue facilitating the benefits of 5G to our customers in Finland, one of the world’s leading mobile service markets and are delighted to work with Nokia to enhance our capabilities. Nokia has been an important strategic partner for us for a long time and its technology has helped us to deliver state-of-the-art 5G based enhanced mobile broadband experiences to our customers. I believe we will have exciting years ahead creating new solutions to meet our customers’ needs, also in the field of private networks, ultra-low latency services, and massive IoT. I look forward to continuing to develop this relationship into the 5G era and beyond.”
Pekka Lundmark, President and CEO at Nokia, said: “Nokia has a long-standing partnership with Elisa, which we are excited to extend into the 5G era as their strategic supply partner. Together we have delivered many technology ‘firsts’, including installing the first-ever commercial liquid cooling 5G base station, which highlights our shared commitment to decreasing emissions while providing world-class connectivity. I look forward to continuing to work closely with Elisa on its ambition to digitize Finnish society.”
Nokia is a global leader in 5G with the industry’s only end-to-end portfolio that is available globally. With more than 150 commercial engagements underway, its 5G solutions, software and services allow Nokia customers to take advantage of the promise of this next generation of network technology.