Nokia becomes BT’s largest 5G kit supplier

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Nokia has announced that it has been selected by BT as a 5G RAN supplier, making the Finnish telecoms giant BT’s largest infrastructure partner.

(Image credit: Future)

Nokia will extend its relationship with BT into the 5G era, with the announcement that BT has selected Nokia as a 5G RAN vendor, in a deal that will make Nokia BT’s largest 5G equipment provider.

Noikia will provide kit for BT’s growing network, which currently includes Greater London and the Midlands, and will be extended to cover multiple other towns and cities across the UK over the next 12 months, including Aberdeen, Bournemouth, Brighton, Cambridge, Carlisle, Dundee, Exeter, Ipswich, Norwich, Plymouth, Southampton, Stoke, Swindon, and York. 

"With this next stage of our successful relationship with Nokia we will continue to lead the rollout of fixed and mobile networks."

Philip Jansen, BT.

“Digital connectivity is critical to the UK’s economic future, creating jobs and underpinning sustainable growth,” said Philip Jansen, CEO at BT Group. “That’s why BT is making game-changing investments in full fibre and 5G. In a fast-moving and competitive market, it’s critical we make the right technology choices. With this next stage of our successful relationship with Nokia we will continue to lead the rollout of fixed and mobile networks to deliver stand out experiences for customers.”

Avoiding High Risk Vendors

The partnership with Nokia will, according to BT, support the company’s commitment to meeting UK government guidelines, specifically around the use of High Risk Vendors (HRVs) in the UK's network infrastructure.

"We are proud to support BT’s 5G network evolution and look forward to working even more closely together in the years to come.”

Pekka Lundmark, Nokia.

“I am delighted that BT has extended its partnership with Nokia on 5G RAN, making Nokia BT’s largest infrastructure partner,” said Pekka Lundmark, president and CEO at Nokia. “Our two companies have collaborated for over a quarter of a century in order to deliver best-in-class connectivity to people across the United Kingdom. We are proud to support BT’s 5G network evolution and look forward to working even more closely together in the years to come.”

Nokia will supply its AirScale Single RAN (S-RAN) portfolio for both indoor and outdoor coverage. The deal will also see Nokia optimize BT’s 2G and 4G networks, and Nokia will also provide digital design and deployment, as well as optimisation and technical support services.



Dan Oliver
Dan Oliver

Dan is a British journalist with 20 years of experience in the design and tech sectors, producing content for the likes of Microsoft, Adobe, Dell and The Sunday Times. In 2012 he helped launch the world's number one design blog, Creative Bloq. Dan is now editor-in-chief at 5Gradar, where he oversees news, insight and reviews, providing an invaluable resource for anyone looking to stay up-to-date with the key issues facing 5G.