Nokia partners with telecom giants on spectrum sharing and cloud networks

Nokia is accelerating telecom innovation through strategic partnerships that showcase next-generation network capabilities. The company has established three significant collaborations in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, each focusing on different aspects of network infrastructure evolution. These partnerships demonstrate how shared infrastructure, cloud-based radio access networks, and AI-powered data center solutions are collectively driving telecom transformation while enabling cost efficiencies and performance improvements.

The big picture: Nokia is expanding its technology ecosystem through strategic partnerships with major telecom operators in multiple regions to advance networking capabilities.

• Nokia’s collaborations with Maxis in Malaysia and both Tawal and Zain in Saudi Arabia highlight innovation across data center networks, 5G spectrum sharing, and cloud-based RAN deployment.
• Each partnership targets distinct aspects of telecom infrastructure, combining to showcase Nokia’s comprehensive approach to network transformation.

Key developments: Nokia and Maxis are jointly delivering advanced data center networking services to Malaysian enterprises and hyperscalers.

• The expanded collaboration focuses on automated networking capabilities that leverage AI and cloud technologies for data center operators.
• This joint go-to-market initiative aims to equip businesses with the infrastructure needed to support next-generation digital services.

Breaking new ground: Nokia, Tawal, Stc, and Zain have completed the world’s first 5G standalone mmWave spectrum-sharing trial in Saudi Arabia.

• The trial, supported by the Communication, Space and Technology Commission, utilized 800 MHz bandwidth in the 26 GHz band during LEAP 2025 in Riyadh.
• This approach enables service providers and enterprises to share advanced network infrastructure efficiently, delivering superior performance at reduced costs.

Technical achievements: Nokia and Zain KSA successfully implemented Saudi Arabia’s first live Cloud RAN site with impressive performance metrics.

• The trial, conducted between December 2024 and January 2025, achieved peak download speeds of 1.5 Gbps when connected to Zain’s 5G core network.
• The implementation used Nokia’s 5G anyRAN (Cloud RAN) solution, demonstrating the viability of cloud-based radio access networks in commercial deployments.

Why this matters: These partnerships represent the telecom industry’s shift toward shared infrastructure, virtualization, and AI-powered networking to address both cost and performance challenges.

• By enabling resource sharing and cloud-based implementations, Nokia is helping operators maximize spectrum efficiency and infrastructure investments.
• These innovations support the growing demands of advanced applications and services that require both high performance and cost-effective network deployment models.