Think Nokia, and you may think phones, it's almost unavoidable. But that’s only a piece of the picture. Just like unboxing a Nokia 9000i Communicator back in the day was like a glimpse into a future of mobile email and internet today we’re unboxing the new future of industry. Mobile phones have, of course, evolved a lot since then, and so has industry. Nokia has been at the center of both of these evolutions.  

Nokia is (and has been) a trusted partner for enterprises operating some of the world’s most critical networks – not only service provider networks, but power utility networks, and critical networks in transportation, defense, government and more. We have focussed our technology on delivering success for these industries. This commitment extends deep into enterprises and Industry 4.0.

While the recent buzz is quite rightly about private 5G industrial networks, such as Nokia’s DAC, many may not realize the pivotal role that Nokia already plays in so many organizations across the UK. Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) including electricity transmission, gas distribution, mass transportation and public safety, all of which rely on secure communications networks that depend, at least in part, on Nokia. And our support for CNI is evolving quickly.

5G is the primary enabler, as universities, hospitals, ports, factories and cities look to leverage not just the new technology, but new business models and stellar improvements in safety, productivity and efficiency, as outlined here in our Nokia Bell Labs white paper.
The dual pressure to support both burgeoning electricity demand, and a de-carbonized economy will depend on innovative digital platforms and connectivity. In the UK especially, the drive towards a digital economy requires a national fiber rollout that is accelerating rapidly.

A focus on cloud and cognitive products built to cloud-native principles will take us deeper into our CNI customers. As operational (OT) and IT environments improve, pressure on connectivity networks grows. Our support for national infrastructure will continue to support this growth.

Progress is swift. We already have factories deploying 5G technology to improve production line efficiency, from food production to autonomous vehicles. How long until your car drives itself to your home from the factory? In mining and construction, networks are being deployed to support efficiency and safety, and in campus environments such as universities and hospitals, IoT is being utilized to enhance these complex environments.

Importantly, it’s not just about the network connectivity, but also the applications that enable the enterprise. This could range from simple voice push-to-talk services, through to service orchestration, which will become increasingly prevalent with the development of technologies such as network slicing. Exposing connectivity to an application ecosystem is the driver behind our recent partnership with Microsoft, which is focused on their Azure cloud services, and demonstrates the open collaboration that enterprises expect to fuel innovation.

I’m excited about the future. If you are interested in hearing more, we’ll be unboxing some of our views at a series of forthcoming events which we would be delighted for you to join, starting with our Education webinar on 13th April, Healthcare webinar on 4th May, culminating in our support of the 5G Realised event and our associated utilities and manufacturing workshops on 27th April and 20th May repectively.