BT and Nokia have signed a deal to work on the developing new opportunities to monetize 5G, via the combination of EE’s cloud-native network and Nokia’s Network as Code platform.
BT, owner of the U.K.’s EE mobile network, wants to “gain access to simplified network capabilities in the form of software code that can be built into applications for enterprise, industrial, and consumer use cases.”
Nokia announced a similar partnership with DISH Wireless in September. The topic of network monetization through exposure of APIs to developers was top of mind at 2023’s Mobile World Congress Barcelona, and the year has seen related announcements of API platforms from the likes of Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile US as well as Telefónica.
At that time of the DISH announcement, Nokia’s Shkumbin Hamiti, GM of the network monetization platform, said that he saw the new platform as a “key milestone for Nokia’s strategic focus on driving new business models.” Specifically, the Network as Code platform is based on a revenue share model between developers, CSPs and Nokia as the platform provider.
Nokia’s platform provides tools including a developer portal, Software Development Kits (SDKs) and open Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), which give developers access to “deep network functionality and data that enables them to build new use cases for their customers,” the network vendor said.
“5G-era networks are fundamentally software-based and rich in capabilities – such as improving network quality on demand – that can really make a difference to enterprises and consumers in ways that were not possible years ago,” said Reza Rahnama, managing director of mobile networks at BT Group. “We are excited to work with Nokia and its new platform to help us better tap into those capabilities that we have been aggressively building into our 5G network.”
Nokia describes its Network-as-Code concept as one of “extreme simplification of network capabilities to enable applications to dynamically change the network to optimize performance and user experience.” That extreme simplification, it says, focuses on enabling distributed service chains in a telecom context and “facilitates the inclusion of developers and the vertical technology partner ecosystem that is foundational for value creation.”
