Nokia nets exclusive Taiwan Mobile 5G deal

In a huge win for Nokia that will not only bring in around €400m over three years, but will also establish it as a leading player in a key region, Taiwan Mobile (TWM) has selected the Finnish telco as the sole supplier of its 5G network in a three-year framework contract.

In the 5G era, TWM is repositioning itself as a next-generation technology company focusing on telecommunications, the internet, media and entertainment, and e-commerce, with an emphasis on sustainability. In Taiwan’s spectrum auction in January 2020, the operator claimed 60MHz in the 3.5GHz band and 200MHz in the 28GHz band.

Nokia is a long-standing partner of TWM, making several contributions to the Taiwanese operator’s 5G development, including a demonstration of a 5G network with extended coverage at the Xinzhuang Baseball Stadium in New Taipei City.

In this new deployment, Nokia said it will support the company in its efforts to execute its Super 5G strategy which is focused on sustainability and digital transformation. The initial phase of the deal, which includes 5G RAN, 5G Core and 5G IP multimedia sub-system (IMS), begins almost immediately with the deployment of 5G non-standalone technology, with the aim of migrating to standalone within a three-year period.

As part of the contract, Nokia will provide its 5G RAN portfolio – including its Nokia AirScale Radio Access products – which will enable TWM to deliver 5G experiences to subscribers with ultra-low latency, connectivity and capacity. Nokia will also provide its AirScale Micro Remote Radio Head (RRH) solution, which will enable TWM to meet the demand for capacity and reliable coverage where it is needed, both indoors and outdoors. It will also provide digital design and deployment for a faster time to market, as well as optimisation and technical support services.

Taiwan Mobile will also take on several Nokia Software solutions spanning cloud and security services, as well as network optimisation and management for 5G RAN, 5G Core and 5G IMS. Network functions and applications will be deployed on top of Nokia’s CloudBand infrastructure software and application manager and network director cloud management products; radio network optimisation will be managed with EdenNet self-organising networks and Nokia Performance Manager. NetAct network management is being deployed to operate the infrastructure, and Archive Cloud will be deployed to support business continuity requirements.

The 5G Core products will see use in providing TWM with the ability to run at scale within dynamic cloud environments, with a focus on scalability, automation and performance to deliver digital services. 5G standalone core network functions selected by TWM include unified data management, signalling network functions provided including access and mobility management, user plane function, session management function, network function repository function and the network slice selection function and policy control function. Nokia is also providing its Traffica analytics solution for 5GC. Network exposure function is also included for future 5G application innovation and business mode evolution.

Commenting on the deployment of the Nokia technology, Taiwan Mobile president Jamie Lin said: “We are pleased to join forces with Nokia again in the 5G era. After the successful launch of 5G, both sides will continue to advance deployment and provide the best coverage and connectivity experiences in the market. More importantly, the two companies will work together to promote our Super 5G Strategy, which integrates multiple vertical applications including smart e-commerce, smart stadium, smart healthcare and smart manufacturing. This approach is designed to build a thriving ecosystem that will create new possibilities for every user and enterprise in the 5G era.”