en.Wedoany.com Reported - Nokia has launched the industry's first commercial AI-RAN platform, integrating Nokia's native AI anyRAN software with NVIDIA's Aerial AI-RAN platform to create a software-defined radio architecture specifically designed for AI-native mobile networks. The platform supports existing 4G and 5G network deployments and provides an upgrade path to 6G. Nokia stated that operators can deploy using existing Nokia AirScale radio units or other Open RAN-compliant radio equipment, enabling gradual modernization without replacing installed infrastructure.
The new platform introduces three deployment options built around accelerated computing. Existing AirScale customers can add a GPU-powered AirScale capacity plug-in unit to increase network capacity without changing their current baseband deployment. Operators can also deploy standalone AI-RAN nodes powered by NVIDIA GPUs, or adopt cloud-native AI-RAN running on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) GPU servers provided through ecosystem partners. Nokia stated that all three options share the same software roadmap and support Open RAN interoperability in multi-vendor environments.
According to Nokia, AI-based radio algorithms have already demonstrated over 20% improvement in spectral efficiency, with a roadmap targeting 50% improvement by 2027 and over 100% improvement by 2028, effectively doubling the available capacity of existing spectrum assets. Nokia plans to deliver AI algorithms, optimization capabilities, and new network functions through a subscription-based software model, rather than relying on periodic hardware updates. Pilot deployments will begin later this year, with commercial rollout planned for 2027.
"AI-RAN is the biggest innovation in radio in decades. AI-RAN makes networks intelligent, extends AI into the physical world, and enables telecom operators to get more out of their existing infrastructure, including a software upgrade path to 6G," said Justin Hotard, President and CEO of Nokia.
This launch marks the commercialization of Nokia's AI-RAN strategy, which was showcased at Mobile World Congress 2026. During MWC, Nokia and NVIDIA, together with operators including T-Mobile, SoftBank, Indosat, BT, Vodafone, Elisa, and NTT DOCOMO, demonstrated GPU-accelerated AI-RAN, verifying that AI inference workloads and Layer 1 RAN processing can be executed simultaneously on a shared NVIDIA accelerated computing platform. This launch transforms those demonstrations into a clear commercial product portfolio, offering multiple deployment options covering traditional dedicated RAN, cloud RAN, and hybrid architectures.
The announcement also reflects the expansion of the strategic relationship between Nokia and NVIDIA. By integrating CUDA and the NVIDIA Aerial AI-RAN platform into Nokia's anyRAN software architecture, NVIDIA has become a foundational technology partner for Nokia's AI-native network strategy. The two companies position the radio access network itself as distributed AI infrastructure capable of simultaneously supporting mobile connectivity and AI workloads. A broader ecosystem including Dell Technologies, Supermicro, Quanta, Red Hat, and Marvell demonstrates how AI-RAN can evolve into an open accelerated computing platform that may influence 5G Advanced deployments and the architectural foundation of future 6G networks.
