Nokia is teaming up with Japanese investment giant SoftBank to jointly research next-generation communication technologies.
The pair signed an agreement committing to developing AI-augmented Radio Access Network (RAN) systems and 6G technologies.
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The companies will specifically look at developing AI-enabled RAN systems that use Nokia's Cloud RAN platform in a bid to provide faster and more flexible wider-range connectivity.
AI-enabled RAN systems could hypothetically be able to automatically manage radio frequency bands and traffic.
Algorithmic-based systems could potentially analyse incoming traffic data in real-time to enable traffic predictions without the need for extra hardware
Announcing the partnership, Nokia and SoftBank said AI-enabled RAN could “open up possibilities for the development of smart cities, industrial automation, and even the creation of new business models.”
Under the terms of the working agreement, SoftBank and Nokia will jointly lead the research and development of 6G networks to deliver more reliable high-speed communication networks
SoftBank said it will “aim to develop its expertise for the practical application of AI-RAN and 6G to address the challenges of a digital society.”
Research from SNS Telecom & IT published earlier this year suggested that investments in Open RAN services will surge due to expansions in both AI and 5G.
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