Dell, Nokia join hands to boost telecom networks and private 5G

Dell Technologies and Nokia have announced a strategic partnership aimed at advancing network cloud transformation and private 5G services. The collaboration will leverage the expertise and solutions of both companies to promote open network architectures and enhance business applications of private 5G technology. 

Under the agreement, Nokia will choose Dell as its preferred infrastructure partner for existing Nokia AirFrame customers, offering Dell’s technology for telecom cloud deployments. This move will facilitate the transition of AirFrame customers to Dell’s infrastructure portfolio, including PowerEdge servers tailored for modern telecom workloads. 

Moreover, Nokia’s Digital Automation Cloud (NDAC) private wireless solution will be integrated into Dell’s offerings, becoming the preferred platform for enterprise edge use cases. The joint effort aims to provide enterprises with a comprehensive and scalable solution by combining Nokia’s NDAC solution with Dell NativeEdge, an edge operations software platform. 

“Through our collaboration, Nokia and Dell Technologies will harness each company’s expertise and expanded distribution to simply and quickly scale modern telecom networks and private 5G use cases,” said Dennis Hoffman, senior vice president and general manager, Telecom Systems Business, Dell Technologies. 

Nishant Batra, chief strategy and technology officer, Nokia said, “In line with our technology strategy, our continued collaboration with Dell will help address the future needs of our customers brought on by the increasing demands on networks and provide solutions to help communications service providers scale modern networks to the cloud.”
The collaboration extends to research and development efforts, with both companies planning to collaborate on platform and application testing in the Dell Open Telecom Ecosystem Lab. Furthermore, they aim to certify workloads on Dell Telecom Infrastructure Blocks supporting Nokia Cloud offerings and continue collaboration on OEM engagements. 

In a recent announcement, last month, Dell unveiled solutions aimed at helping communications service providers (CSPs) facilitate network cloud and operations transformation. The company aims at designing telecom solutions that reduce risk, enabling CSPs to deploy, operate, and manage disaggregated network cloud infrastructure with enhanced economics and agility.