Connecting the unconnected
We have customers in most countries. The rollout of 5G continued around the world in 2024, as we continued to improve connectivity and coverage in many emerging markets. With our partners and customers, we connect school districts and local communities through best-in-breed broadband communications solutions that are fast and easy to deploy and manage. Nokia is working with Reflex in South Africa to deploy the Broadband Network Gateway (BNG) solution to modernize and scale their network, enabling faster onboarding of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and delivering a better broadband experience for South African businesses and communities.
Nokia was the first telecom company to announce the manufacturing of fiber-optic broadband network electronics products and optical modules in the U.S. for use in the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. By manufacturing fiber-optic technology in the US, Nokia will be able to supply its products and services to critical projects like BEAD that are focused on narrowing the digital divide.
Nokia’s private wireless solution – Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) – with our FastMile end user home device can help cities, communities and educational institutions access online learning for students. The same solution can enable broadband connectivity and business continuity for city services, such as community centers, hospitals and libraries. It can also help improve choice for public employees as they can work from home when necessary.
Nokia continues to deploy its Rural Connect solution in the Middle East and Africa to connect the unconnected in remote areas of sub-Saharan Africa and has been used for deployments in Ethiopia, Egypt, Cameroon and Mali. Telecom providers can use Rural Connect to bring mobile connectivity to remote areas with a cost-optimized radio site solution with high energy efficiency.
Digital skills building solutions
Enterprise
Despite the acceleration of digitalization, there remains the risk that SMEs may face challenges in preparing their employees for future digital skills and knowledge. Our knowledge and expertise in digital technologies and potential for collaboration with industry and other ecosystem partners allow us to offer digital skills solutions to support SMEs to benefit fully from digitalization.
Our work with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to increase digital inclusion helps connect the unconnected and improves digital skills.
Education
It is important that mandatory education develops digital skills and competence, but it is equally important to ensure life-long learning and skills development to adapt to workplace demand. With our partners, we serve the specific needs of school districts and local communities through best-in-breed broadband communications solutions that are fast and easy to deploy and manage.
Nokia’s Private wireless solution – Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) with FastMile CPE — can help cities, counties and educational entities ensure students’ access to online learning from the comfort and safety of their homes. Nokia also offers its passive optical LAN (POL) solution to connect schools and school districts to high-speed broadband internet that enables students and teachers to collaborate and develop skills in a digital learning environment. For example, in 2023, Nokia with its partners deployed its high-speed optical network solution at 100 schools in South Korea to create a digital-based educational environment.
Case Examples
Nokia has deployed with Global Fiber Peru a subaquatic Optical, IP and fiber broadband network in the Amazon rainforest, helping to reduce the digital divide. The extensive network connects over 400 communities to multi-gigabit broadband access that is critical in today’s digital economy.
Buried in the Amazon River, the new subaquatic network interconnects 500,000 users across 400 communities located in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, in an area known as the three-border region, where Peru, Colombia and Brazil share borders.
The Nokia subaquatic optical backbone connects the localities of Iquitos and Santa Rosa de Yaraví (Peru), Leticia (Colombia) and Tabatinga (Brazil), allowing Global Fiber Peru to offer the first FTTH (Fiber-to-the-Home) broadband access service in the region, as well as multi-gigabit services for enterprise users.
From a network-in-a-box to space-based connectivity
Nokia has set aside Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) kits for expedited delivery to rural service providers in the US. Each ‘network-in-a-box’ kit is suitable for building a network for a town of up to 1,000 homes. In Kenya, we have been working with Safaricom and Unicef to connect close to 90 schools to the Internet. The connected schools are spread across rural and informal urban settlements in Kenya, serving an estimated 32,670 students.
Nokia is also working with AST SpaceMobile, Inc. the company building the first and only space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by standard 4G or 5G mobile devices. This will provide direct to cell phone connectivity from space.
Nokia is helping fibertime expand its fiber broadband access footprint to include an additional 400,000 homes located across South Africa’s underserved communities. The broadband roll-out is part of fibertime’s larger goal of connecting 2 million homes by 2028. Fibertime will deploy a combination of Nokia’s IP and fiber access technologies to build semi-mobile networks in underserved areas, providing end-users with unlimited high-speed internet from anywhere in their home, business or community they live in.
Nokia has been selected by Liquid Intelligent Technologies to deploy a next-generation optical transport network connecting Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. As part of the agreement, Nokia is deploying a first-of-its-kind terrestrial network connecting submarine landing stations in Kenya, South Africa and DRC to create a highway with the potential to handle massive traffic across the Sub-Saharan African continent. The new optical transport network will enable Liquid Intelligent Technologies to provide massive capacity to enterprises, hyperscalers and mobile operators.
Nokia is deploying a 10G broadband network for operator Valoo in Finland. The deal includes fiber access nodes for the central office and Nokia’s Altiplano broadband access controller, which includes software defined access networking (SDAN) capabilities. The new network will connect 200,000 homes in and around 30 cities in Finland by the end of 2026.
In collaboration with distribution partner, Dongkuk Systems, and Erum I&C, specializing in school networks, Nokia has successfully installed its Optical LAN solution in 100 schools including kindergartens, elementary, middle and high schools in the Gyeonggi-do region in South Korea. The deployment aims to enhance the existing infrastructure and provide a high-capacity network to support digital learning. This initiative is part of the Korean Ministry of Education’s Green Smart School program to transform existing school facilities into smart learning environments for new-age and digital ways of learning, including the creation of large-capacity multimedia classes. Following this successful implementation, the project will be expanded across the region and extended to additional schools nationwide.
Digital Inclusion solutions
FWA is seen as a more affordable and faster option to deploy than using 5G or the fixed broadband network in certain cases. It doesn’t require new spectrum and there is no need to dig new trenches to lay cabling. This means it can bring high speed broadband access and services to remote communities in developed and developing markets sooner and ensure that communities are included in the digital society and economy.
To connect everyone and everything at Gigabit speeds, you need solutions fit for any deployment strategy. Even in urban areas it is sometimes difficult to get high speed broadband connectivity. Gigabit Connect brings fiber broadband to multi-dwelling units, (such as retirement homes, social housing in tower blocks and office blocks) and to other hard to reach customers.
Find out more: Accelerate into Gigabit with fiber Gigabit Connect
5G backhaul using microwave technology allows fast deployment of high capacity/speed broadband to underserved/rural areas. Ideal for rural applications it can provide flexibility for interference mitigation & spectrum efficiency while delivering high path performance and capacity.
Find out more: Wavence -Microwave transmission
5G Edge Slicing allows more services to be delivered in a CSP’s spectrum allocation. This means they can offer a larger choice of services with guaranteed quality of service to various customers across common network infrastructure. A slice can be flexibly deployed in just one base station, in a campus area, in a city or a wider area based on the enterprise customer needs. Consequently, it allows greater variety of services to be delivered by CSPs to all sectors of the community.
Find out more: 5G Edge Slicing | Nokia
The broadband edge is an essential network demarcation point for managing subscriber access to digital content and services on the internet and in private clouds
The World Bank estimates that globally there are 1 billion people without ID. This limits their ability to access healthcare, education, social housing, secure a job or vote. Nokia iSIMSecure Connect SaaS will automate the eSIM and/or iSIM management process. This will mean faster onboarding and management for those trying to establish a digital ID & their place in the digital economy.
Find out more Nokia: iSIM Secure Connect eBrochure
Nokia AVA Network Data Analytics Function, as a SaaS model, enhances network operations with Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Machine Learning (ML) driven closed-loop automation and provides analytics at the network edge. The SaaS-based model enables fast and cost-effective deployment of 5G services, thereby making a wider range of services commercially viable for CSPs to roll out to people who otherwise could not afford them.
Find out more: AVA NWDAF | Nokia
The Nokia Optical LAN solution can be used in education and campus environments to support learning, research and collaboration on a single, unified, ultra-broadband infrastructure. It can play an important role in removing the digital divide at the educational level and support life-long learning to ensure workers’ digital skills remain relevant to the economic environment.
Find out more: Nokia Optical LAN (POL)
Nokia’s AirScale Single RAN radio technology enables AST SpaceMobile to deliver cellular broadband connectivity to 4G and 5G devices via low earth orbiting (LEO) satellites. In conjunction with local mobile operators, AST SpaceMobile’s aim is to bring cellular broadband to 1.8bn underserved and unconnected subscribers. No specialized hardware is required and subscribers will be able to roam from land networks to space networks.
Find out more: Nokia radio technology to enable AST SpaceMobile’s direct-to-cell phone connectivity from space