Building on its existing market share and long history with Orange, Nokia will provide Orange, for a broad part of France, with a range of products and services from its end-to-end 5G portfolio, including Single Radio Access Network (RAN) technology, advanced automation tools, a state-of-the-art network management solution and associated professional services.
Orange claims the investment will allow it to significantly improve customer experience, boost network capacity, enable further automation and create new innovative services that require ultra-high bandwidth and low latency. The new network will provide improved mobile broadband services as well as allow Orange to provide ultra-low latency applications in areas such as industrial IoT, health, public safety among others.
Nokia said it will initially support Orange’s 5G commercial launch by enabling the rollout of its state-of-the-art SRAN network to 5G through software upgrades, streamlining the initial steps to build 5G. It will also introduce 5G New Radio (5G NR)-based AirScale hardware, and software for the new 5G frequency bands.
Deputy Chief Executive Officer and CEO of Orange France, Fabienne Dulac, said: “For Orange, the deployment of 5G represents a huge challenge and is one of the main priorities of our Engage 2025 strategic plan. We are delighted to be pursuing our partnership with Nokia, a key long-term partner, in order to develop a powerful and innovative 5G network. 5G will enable the development of new use-cases and new services and will provide an enriched experience for our customers - both in the consumer and business segments. Through this agreement, Orange reaffirms its ambition to being network leader.”
Nokia president of Mobile Networks Tommi Uitto said: “Nokia is thrilled to bring 5G to France with Orange, a key European operator. Nokia has exactly the right technology for this project, given our excellence in SRAN, 5G and end-to-end network infrastructure leadership. This deal builds on our long-standing trusted relationship with Orange."
