Nokia announced a partnership with Brazil’s Telecommunications Research and Development Centre (CPQD), an independent government-affiliated research body, to jointly develop applications and solutions based on the Open RAN (O-RAN) compliant near-real-time RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC).

The partnership will focus on 5G use cases in cooperation with Nokia’s Brazilian mobile operator customers including fixed wireless access (FWA), smart cities, IoT for Industry 4.0, and critical networks, which will be customised for the Brazilian market.

Leveraging Nokia’s Service Enablement Platform (SEP), which combines the capabilities of the RIC and multi-access edge computing (MEC), the collaboration is designed to create innovative use cases at the network edge. These use cases utilise Nokia’s optimised AirFrame open edge server solution and will allow CPQD to explore the potential of 5G to deliver an enhanced network performance with lower energy consumption, greater reliability, and security.

Nokia’s SEP enables innovative use cases at the edge of the RAN. It runs on the edge or far edge datacentre and can share infrastructure with Cloud RAN or other virtualised network functions using open API capabilities to enable an agile and dynamic edge cloud environment for secure innovation with ecosystem and third parties. Nokia’s edge-optimised AirFrame open edge server solution provides secured and high-performance ultra-small footprint edge cloud infrastructure for indoor and outdoor environments.

The RIC is a virtualised 5G optimisation technology that adds programmability to the Radio Access Network (RAN) and enables artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) as well as new services. It provides a framework for deploying applications from multiple sources. The near-real-time RIC platform provides functions and interfaces that boost optimisation, automation, and faster, more flexible service deployments.

Founded in 1976, CPQD is an independent research and development institutions in the field of Information Technologies. Its mission is to enhance Brazil’s technology-related competitiveness as well as improve the digital inclusion of society. It’s the research centre in Latin America to work on applications for the RIC platform.

Frederico Nava, director of solutions and consulting at CPQD, says, “This is an important collaboration that will help to shape the future of 5G networks in Brazil. We look forward to a fruitful and successful partnership with Nokia and look forward to introducing a range of innovative 5G-based use cases to the market.”

Ari Kynaslahti, head of technology and strategy at Nokia Mobile Networks, commented, “This important partnership will explore the potential for innovative 5G use cases that will have real-world value in Brazil across a range of different areas, such as smart cities and fixed wireless access. Our RAN Intelligent Controller will play a critical role in this research, helping to explore and trial new cutting-edge use cases that will put Brazil at the forefront in the 5G era.”

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