Deutsche Telekom will roll out large-scale commercial O-RAN network in Germany with Nokia. The Finnish telecom gear vendor has been awarded a contract to supply over 3,000 sites for Deutsche Telekom AG's (DT) Open RAN network expansion in Germany. The deal, which also involves Fujitsu, will see Nokia replace the incumbent vendor in Northern Germany, with commercial deployment already underway in Neubrandenburg.
Also Read: Deutsche Telekom, Skylo and Qualcomm Trial Satellite-Based SMS Service
Nokia to Provide O-RAN Solutions
Nokia said this new deal marks its return to supplying Europe's largest network and will support Deutsche Telekom's multi-vendor Open RAN network scale-up in Germany.
Under the deal, Nokia will provide its O-RAN-compliant 5G AirScale portfolio. This includes high-capacity baseband solutions and Habrok Massive MIMO radios to boost coverage and capacity. The company will also deploy its AI-powered MantaRay NM solution for improved network monitoring and management, alongside AI-based services for deployment, optimisation and technical support.
Fujitsu to Provide Remote Radio Heads
Nokia said its solutions integrate with DT's multi-supplier Open RAN environment where Fujitsu will supply its O-RAN-compliant mid-band remote radio head products. The deal will also see Nokia support DT with network modernisation alongside existing suppliers.
Managing Director of Technology Germany at Deutsche Telekom commented: "This deal is further evidence of our significant commitment to multi-vendor Open RAN and ensuring we have greater supplier choice for radio access networks. The network performance in the already implemented area is delivering the best customer experience. And now together with Nokia, we look forward to scaling up Open RAN in Germany."
Also Read: Deutsche Telekom Turns Anonymised Network Data into Music with AI
President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, added: "While others talk about doing Open RAN, Nokia is actually doing it and doing it on a grand scale."
This deal supports Deutsche Telekom's Open RAN strategy of increasing choice in supplier base, the official release said.
