Nokia expects the new offering to be commercially available in the first half of 2023
Finnish vendor Nokia unveiled its core software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution for 5G, whichit says will enable operators and enterprises to have a fully automated and scalable software model to run the core of their networks.
In a release, the vendor said that the new solution will allow telcos and private firms greater business agility and faster time to value for delivering and monetizing network services. Nokia highlighted that its core SaaS solution allows operators and enterprises to consume Nokia’s core software, including 5G packet core, on-demand through a cost-effective subscription service that eliminates large up front capital expenditure and avoids the need to perform on-site software maintenance and updates.
Nokia also said that trials of the Core SaaS offering are expected to commence shortly, while the commercial availability is expected in the first half of 2023.
Nokia claimed that this new core SaaS offering is the first complete 5G core solution to market with all core cloud-native network functions available through a SaaS delivery model.
Fran Heeran, SVP and general manager of core networks, cloud and network services at Nokia, said: “Nokia core SaaS changes the way core networks are built, deployed and run, with important customer benefits that include Network on demand, speed to market, and easy and fast scaling, in an affordable way. Nokia core SaaS is not the core network we’ve known for decades, but something entirely different.”
“As telecom SaaS goes more mainstream, we are seeing more solutions offered in the marketplace that provide operators with much needed options for getting the most out of the network. Nokia’s launch of its Core SaaS offering through a subscription model today is a new dimension to telecom SaaS and I would expect to see more of this into 2023, as the marketplace more closely examines the potential benefits of going down this path,” said Roberto Kompany, principal analyst, service provider networks at Omdia.
Last month, Nokia launched a new Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution designed to help communication service providers (CSPs) and enterprises commercialize new 5G and IoT use cases and offerings. The solution, called AVA Charging, provides “intelligence everywhere” using AI, machine learning, no code configuration, open APIs, multi-cloud orchestration and digital ecosystems, said the vendor.
The solution supports environments with more than 150 million subscribers and can be integrated with 5G Standalone core network functions in a multivendor environment. Nokia said that for CSPs, the SaaS solution will allow them to better monetize new consumer and enterprise offerings such as cloud gaming for the former and logistics for the latter.
Speaking to RCR Wireless News at this year’s Big 5G Event in Austin, Mark Bunn, SVP of Nokia’s cloud and network services, said: “The reality is that the industry has been transitioning from a hardware industry to a software industry. It makes a lot of sense for us, at this time, to think about software as a service.”
