In a new paper Flash forward: Life in 2030. How 5G will transform our lives over the next decade, Nokia has outlined seven actions (see below) to be adopted across business, academia and regulation. Nokia said: “What we do today will determine whether the 5G future fulfils its promise.”
Karoliina Loikkanen (pictured), head of sustainability at Nokia, said: “5G will fundamentally enhance our lives by powering the Fourth Industrial Revolution. But with great power comes great responsibility. We call upon business and government to join Nokia in acting responsibly as we roll out this life-changing technology. Our choices must promote equality, put people first, preserve and strengthen digital trust and ensure sustainability.”
The paper was released only two weeks after Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark, joined the CEOs of more than 1,000 companies to sign a statement on renewed cooperation.
Handed to the UN Secretary General in September, it said that at time of unprecedented disruption and global transformation, international cooperation must be mobilized across borders, sectors and generations.
Its environmental pledges come on the back of several new 5G commercial deals for Nokia.
It has signed 18 new 5G such deals in Q3, taking its total to more than 100 commercial 5G deals with individual customers and 160 commercial 5G engagements, including paid trials. Nokia is present in all 5G early adopter markets, with deals with the top four US CSPs and the top three in both Japan and Korea. Just this week, Nokia signed a new 5G deal with BT in the UK, a renewed 5G deal with Elisa in Finland, and a new deal with Orange.
Tommi Uitto, president of mobile networks, Nokia, said: “We are thrilled to have passed this 5G milestone. We know we still have work to do and that the market remains highly competitive. But, we are moving fast – and these wins make it clear that our progress is being validated by customers. We deeply appreciate their ongoing support and are committed to delivering for them.”
Nokia’s actions call for civil society, academia, industry, government, multilateral organisations, politicians to act and:
Encourage open dialog on societal implications of 5G and other new technologies
Come together to drive innovations and new use cases
Apply sustainable and circular design choices for new technology solutions
Advocate for the right to digital inclusion
Co-create rules and regulations for the ethical use of technology
Agree frameworks for evaluation of 5G carbon footprint and handprint
Use regulation to drive rapid uptake of technology innovations or new technologies
