Telecommunications equipment vendor Nokia has won a deal with German telco Deutsche Telekom (DT) which will see it replace Chinese vendor Huawei at more than 3,000 sites to support the operator’s multi-vendor Open RAN network scale-up in Germany.
The deal, which includes Fujitsu, covers a mass rollout of O-RAN-compliant technology with commercial deployment already underway in the Neubrandenburg area of Northern Germany, according to Nokia.
Under the agreement, Nokia will replace the incumbent Chinese vendor Huawei as a networking equipment supplier to Europe’s largest network vendor DT, in compliance with current German government policy.
"Nokia will supply equipment from its O-RAN-compliant 5G AirScale portfolio powered by its ReefShark System-on-Chip technology, including modular, high-capacity baseband solutions and high-performance Habrok Massive MIMO radios for premium coverage and capacity," the vendor said in its announcement.
"Nokia’s solutions integrate with DT’s multi-supplier Open RAN environment where Fujitsu will supply its O-RAN-compliant mid-band remote radio head products."
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Nokia will also deploy its AI-powered MantaRay NM solution for improved network monitoring and management and will provide AI-based services, including digital deployment, optimisation, and technical support.
“This deal is further evidence of our significant commitment to multi-vendor Open RAN and ensuring we have greater supplier choice for radio access networks," said Abdu Mudesir, Group CTO and Managing Director of Technology Germany at Deutsche Telekom.
"The network performance in the already implemented area is delivering the best customer experience. And now together with Nokia, we look forward to scaling up Open RAN in Germany.”
Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, said the win is significant deal for Nokia as the vendor has been selected by the largest network operator in Europe.
“While others talk about doing Open RAN, Nokia is actually doing it and doing it on a grand scale," Uitto said.
"We are proud to have been chosen because of our technology leadership, innovative product portfolio, and open approach.
"We look forward to expanding our partnership further in the future.”