Microsoft and Nokia are offering a private LTE and IoT bundle for operators and enterprises. UK based BT is the first operator to resell the package, offered as a managed service.
The arrangement, which sees the Microsoft’s Azure based cloud and analytics offered with the Nokia’s private LTE and 5G networking offer, badged as its ‘Digital Automation Cloud’ (DAC), will accelerate digital transformation and Industry 4.0 for telcos and enterprises, the pair said.
They said their joint package will “simplify and accelerate” digital change for enterprises, and help telecoms operators to “play a key role” in their transformation. They are pitching to factories, cities, warehouses, hospitals and healthcare settings, and transportation hubs such as ports and airports.
Microsoft is also offering artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) solutions into the bundle; Nokia is providing IP, SD-WAN, and IoT connectivity offerings.
BT customers can access the private networking, cloud and analytics via a ‘customer automated delegated rights service’, enabling BT to manage both the Azure vWAN and the Agile Connect SD-WAN, based on Nokia’s Nuage SD-WAN 2.0.
Nokia’s Nuage SD-WAN 2.0 now enables service providers to offer integration with Microsoft Azure Virtual WAN for branch to cloud connectivity, with the companies planning to offer more options for branch internet connectivity in 2020.
Meanwhile, Nokia’s own analytics, virtualisation and automation (AVA) services for carriers are being made available on Microsoft’s Azure cloud, enabling them to move out of private data centres for rollout of 5G services.
The pair have developed a ‘predictive video analytics’ solution to analyse video traffic and assess video peformance on mobile networks, and link to business KPIs including churn, NPS and revenue. They claim their analytics can improving reliability of video streaming by up to 60 per cent.
Nokia’s Worldwide IoT Network Grid (WING) and Microsoft’s Azure IoT Central are being integrated to make the onboarding, deployment and management of IoT solutions slicker, they said. Operators will be able to offer a single platform for services such as asset tracking and machine monitoring on a national or global scale.
Jason Zander, executive vice president at Microsoft Azure, said: “Bringing together Microsoft’s expertise in intelligent cloud solutions and Nokia’s strength in building business and mission-critical networks will unlock new connectivity and automation scenarios. We’re excited about the opportunities this will create for our joint customers across industries.”
Kathrin Buvac, chief strategy officer and enterprise president at Nokia, said: “We are thrilled to unite Nokia’s mission-critical networks with Microsoft’s cloud solutions. Together, we will accelerate the digital transformation journey towards Industry 4.0, driving economic growth and productivity for both enterprises and service providers.”
