Nokia and the Orange Group are to collaborate on the development of services that will allow industries and consumers to take advantage of the unprecedented efficiencies and business models made possible by 5G.

5G promises to deliver dramatic improvements in peak data speeds, network latency and agility, as well as the ability to enable new capabilities such as network slicing. This will allow operators to support a growing number of customers and potentially billions of connected IoT devices with consistent quality of service, laying the foundation for smarter cities, connected vehicles, smart factories and offices, remote healthcare and many other connected industries.

Under a new collaboration agreement, Nokia and Orange will drive the definition and development of these new services, with a focus on making the transition from 4G to 5G network connectivity in the most efficient way in terms of power, operations, and cost effectiveness, and with the highest level of quality and reliability. Furthermore, the companies will build on existing joint innovation programs, as well as work with other partners, to develop, trial and introduce solutions that will make 5G a commercial reality and drive the digital transformation of vertical industries.

Nokia and Orange will leverage the Nokia Flexi Base Station and 5G-ready AirScale radio access portfolio, the AirFrame data center platform, telco cloud and cybersecurity technologies to create applications making use of 5G’s ultra-low latency and ultra-high reliability. This work will also include the application of:

• Ultra-broadband leveraging new frequency bands
• Cloud RAN and massive MIMO
• IoT
• End-to-end network slicing techniques
• Energy efficiency techniques

Nokia and Orange will leverage the existing research collaboration between Orange Labs and Nokia Bell Labs and establish joint innovation platforms at the Nokia Paris Saclay premises on the outskirts of the French capital, and at the Nokia campus in Lannion, in Western France, in collaboration with two Orange’s research and innovation sites, Orange Gardens in Chatillon and Orange Labs in Lannion. The companies will open up the laboratories to work with their respective innovation partners, including local enterprises, vertical application providers and local start-ups, to accelerate the ecosystem that will be created around 5G.

Alain Maloberti, Senior Vice President, Orange Labs Networks at Orange said: “In line with the Orange Essentials 2020 strategy, Orange places innovation at the heart of its drive to deliver an unmatched customer experience. Working with Nokia, we are preparing the evolution of our networks from 4G to 5G, with multiple services on a single infrastructure to deliver a quality tailored for each service requirement. Our new services will enhance people’s lives and accelerate the digitization of vertical industries.”

Marc Rouanne, chief innovation and operating officer at Nokia, said: “With our breadth of Radio, IP and Optics technologies, and the expertise of Bell Labs, Nokia is proud to be assisting Orange in the introduction of 5G and the application of the Future X Network paradigm. Through this collaboration, we will test 5G applications for different industry segments and measure the benefits of extremely short latency and very high speeds. We are also delighted to be applying our world-class R&D expertise in Paris and Lannion in this project.”