In an exclusive interview with Telecom Review, Noman Waheed, CTO for Middle East, Nokia, shared details regarding the state of technological progress across the MEA region, the importance of collaboration, the impact of the 5G-Advanced revolution, and Nokia’s strategy for leveraging MEA’s potential.
Given Nokia’s wide presence within the Middle East, which particular areas have the most promising technological integration? Which areas require more innovation?
Nokia’s extensive presence across the Middle East is helping drive digital transformation in various sectors. However, some areas show more advanced technology integration, while others still need to be boosted for further innovation.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are leading in 5G rollouts, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia having some of the highest 5G adoption rates globally.
We also see a strong push towards private 5G networks as CSPs look to explore additional revenue streams. Sectors like oil and gas, logistics, smart ports and manufacturing can benefit by using private 5G networks to drive efficiency, safety, and automation.
The Middle East has tremendous potential for further innovation, with promising areas like smart cities, telecom infrastructure, private networks and energy already experiencing high levels of technology integration. Nokia’s continued investments in 5G, IoT (RedCap), automation, AI/ML, energy efficiency (as part of ESG), and cloud technologies, along with strategic partnerships across industries, can help unlock innovation and further propel the Middle East as a global technology leader.
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The UAE is pioneering the use of mmWave technology. How does Nokia’s FastMile FWA product cater to this demand, and how can it be further utilized in the coming years?
The UAE is among the first country in Middle East to allocate mmWave spectrum to CSPs for 5G commercial deployments. mmWave spectrum is valuable as it can provide up to 3 GHz of spectrum that can be used for deployments by the CSP to address demands for consumers and private users (private networks).
5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) has been highly successful, connecting millions worldwide with mid-band 5G. The Nokia FastMile 5G mmWave Receiver enhances this by overcoming challenges like signal attenuation, obstructions, and line-of-sight limitations. Its advanced antennas and intelligent algorithms enable connectivity from any direction, even in non-line-of-sight conditions, making mmWave broadband accessible in more scenarios.
How important is 5G collaboration beyond evolution? What characteristics does Nokia look for in a partner and potential solutions as a leading telecom vendor in today’s age?
There is an African proverb that goes, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.”
Collaboration is crucial in the evolution of 5G and beyond due to the complexity and scope of next-generation networks. No single company can address all the technological, operational, and regulatory challenges associated with 5G on its own.
Collaboration among telecom vendors, cloud providers, application developers, and industry players is essential to create a broad ecosystem that leverages 5G's full potential. Moreover, collaboration among industry players, regulatory bodies, and standard-setting organizations is critical to ensure that 5G networks are interoperable globally.
The evolution to 5G and beyond (6G) demands massive investments in research and development (R&D). Collaborative efforts between telecom vendors, universities, startups, and industry bodies foster innovation in areas such as AI, edge computing, network slicing, and low-latency applications.
Nokia is working closely with regulators across Middle-Eastern countries to achieve their spectrum outlook and strategy.
As a leading telecom vendor, Nokia's collaborative approach focuses on building a strong partner ecosystem that accelerates innovation and ensures seamless 5G deployments. Some of our key partner characteristics and solutions include:
Cloud-Native and Open Architecture Partners: Nokia works with cloud-native infrastructure providers like AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure to build flexible, scalable 5G solutions. These partnerships enable cloud-based network services, allowing for more efficient network management, faster deployment, and innovation in edge computing.
Enterprise and Industry Verticals: Nokia partners with enterprises in various verticals to develop industry-specific solutions like private 5G networks, mission-critical applications, and automation systems. These collaborations help enterprises leverage 5G for greater efficiency and innovation.
Open RAN and Standardization Partners: As a strong advocate of Open RAN (O-RAN), Nokia works with technology partners to ensure an open, interoperable network architecture. This collaboration drives competition and innovation while reducing dependency on single-vendor solutions.
R&D and Innovation Partners: Nokia collaborates with research institutions and universities to develop future network technologies like 6G, AI-driven network management, and quantum computing. This helps position Nokia at the forefront of telecom innovation, ensuring its solutions remain cutting-edge.
In conclusion, Nokia’s extensive partner ecosystem, characterized by a focus on innovation, openness, security, and interoperability, ensures that it remains a key player in the global telecom landscape.
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From your perspective, how will 5G-Advanced continue to impact the networks in the Middle East?
The 5G-Advanced evolution continues through Release 19 and beyond. Often seen as the next evolutionary step in 5G, this technology will significantly impact networks in the Middle East by enhancing capabilities, driving innovation, and opening new opportunities across industries.
Aligned with this, we’ve been engaging with multiple operators across the region, including du, to test 5G-Advanced capabilities like Reduced Capability (RedCap) for 5G IoT; and Etisalat by e&, to explore MEA’s first Cloud RAN trial based on Nokia AnyRAN solution.
Figure 1As pictured in figure 1, 5G-Advanced is expected to offer improved Experience for people and machines, Extensions for new use cases, and Expansions to offer new services beyond pure communication. This is powered by innovations that provide operational Excellence.
The domain of enhanced Experience aims to lift 5G end-user experience to the next level, including better support for extended reality (XR), further development of MIMO, and improvements in mobility and flexible duplexing.
The Extensions domain aims to extend the reach of 5G connectivity and make it available to new market segments while the Expansions domain targets the expansion of 5G services beyond traditional communication. By introducing enhanced positioning with sub-10cm accuracy consistently both indoors and outdoors, as well as time synchronization as a service, it offers valuable benefits for diverse use cases.
5G-Advanced will be powered by operational Excellence that aims to enhance and optimize the 5G platform and its operation through the gradual introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) enablers, network slicing enhancements, wireline and wireless convergence, network coordination and energy efficiency enhancements.
What makes the Middle East a thriving technology ground, and how will Nokia continue to maximize the region’s potential for the rest of 2024 until 2025?
The Middle East’s combination of visionary leadership, robust infrastructure investments, and a tech-savvy population make it an ideal environment for continued technological innovation. As a leading telecom vendor, Nokia is well-positioned to help the Middle East achieve its technology goals by leveraging its portfolio of 5G, cloud, and AI-driven solutions, supporting the region’s ambitions through 2024 and 2025.
By focusing on expanding networks, fostering smart cities, supporting industrial transformation, and advancing sustainability, Nokia will help unlock the full potential of the Middle East as a thriving technology hub.
Visionary Government Initiatives: Many countries have launched ambitious digital transformation plans. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, for example, aims to foster a digital economy and create a robust technology sector. The UAE has similar initiatives focused on artificial intelligence, blockchain, and 5G.
Nokia’s Smart City offerings, such as smart lighting, traffic management, and public safety, will be integral to the success of projects in the Middle East.
Strong Investments in 5G and Telecom Infrastructure: The Middle East is one of the fastest-growing regions for 5G deployments. The UAE is leading Ookla’s rankings of the fastest 5G download speeds in the world. Governments in the region are actively working with telecom operators and vendors such as Nokia to ensure the efficient allocation of spectrum and the smooth deployment of new technologies. This creates a fertile environment for telecom innovation.
Nokia’s AirScale Radio Access solutions are designed to help operators scale their networks while improving efficiency and performance.
High Demand for Advanced Digital Services: The Middle East has a large (and growing) population of young, tech-savvy consumers who demand the latest in mobile services, entertainment, and e-commerce. This trending demographic drives innovation and the adoption of new digital services.
In response, Nokia will enhance network automation across the region with AI-driven solutions, enabling telecom operators to manage complex networks more efficiently. This will be crucial for handling the growing number of connected devices and high data demand.
Innovation in Energy and Sustainability: The region is also focusing on diversifying its economy and addressing sustainability challenges. Governments are investing in renewable energy and smart grid technology as part of their sustainability goals. This creates opportunities for technology companies to provide solutions in energy management, IoT, and green technology.
Nokia offers energy-efficient network solutions to reduce the environmental impact of telecom infrastructure, while helping operators meet their sustainability targets.
Investing in Skills and Innovation: Nokia is supporting the region’s talent development initiatives by collaborating with local universities, startups, and governments on innovation programs, research, and development. This will be key to ensuring that the Middle East can sustain its growth as a tech hub.
As part of Nokia’s commitment to the region, we recently launched the Open Innovation Lab in the UAE, aiming to drive regional innovation and accelerate the adoption of new technologies such as AI/ML for network automation and optimization in the MEA region.
Watch: Nokia MEA Open Innovation Lab Inauguration
Also Read: Nokia: Building a Digital and Sustainable Future in the Middle East
