Nokia and Nvidia expand AI-RAN platform toward 5G deployment

Nokia and Nvidia announced an expansion of their AI-RAN collaboration, introducing new capabilities aimed at integrating artificial intelligence into radio access networks and extending AI agents across network operations, according to a company press release.

The announcement, made at NVIDIA GTC Berlin, builds on a partnership formed one year ago. Nokia's AI-native anyRAN software, running on Nvidia's Aerial RAN Computer, forms the basis of a software-defined platform designed to incorporate AI-powered radio functions into live 5G networks.

Several European operators are involved in active testing and trials. In Helsinki, Elisa demonstrated simultaneous voice, mobile data and video analytics on an AI-RAN platform in its live 5G network, with distributed deployment and commercial AI-RAN services expected in 2027. BT is preparing a live-network trial in Birmingham, also planned for 2027. Deutsche Telekom and Nokia reported laboratory results showing uplink throughput improvements of 10–15% using AI-based channel estimation, with field validation planned as a next step. Orange plans to test AI-RAN in both lab and live network conditions.

Nokia is also extending its AI-RAN ecosystem through distributed applications that run at the network edge. DeepSig is developing spectrum-sensing software using existing radio infrastructure, while ZaiNar is integrating positioning software with Nokia Cloud AI-RAN to enable network-based location capabilities without hardware changes.

Dell Technologies, Quanta Cloud Technology, Supermicro and Red Hat are among the infrastructure partners supporting deployment configurations.

Nokia and Nvidia also announced a sovereign agentic AI platform designed for autonomous network operations across radio, core, transport and cloud domains. The platform integrates Nvidia AI Enterprise software and Nvidia Nemotron models into Nokia's agentic platform. Etisalat UAE, MEO and Airtel are among the telecommunications providers working with Nokia on use cases and integration timelines.

Nokia (NYSE: NOK) additionally highlighted high-performance IP and optical networking solutions, including 800G coherent pluggables, intended to connect distributed AI infrastructure across data center locations.

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