Nokia accelerates Telenet cloud services with 5G core tech

As it embarks on the roll-out of a 5G network across the country, leading Belgian telecommunications operator Telenet has chosen Nokia to deliver cloud-native core infrastructure products to enable ultra-fast response times for critical applications and reserved capacity for services.

Telenet specialises in the supply of broadband internet, fixed and mobile telephony services and cable television to customers throughout Flanders, Brussels and parts of Wallonia, over a hybrid fibre-coax (HFC) network. It also supplies professional communication services to businesses in Belgium and Luxembourg, and its BASE brand supplies mobile services throughout Belgium.

As part of expanding 5G services, Nokia will supply Telenet with its Cloud Packet Core, so the operator can advance towards a public cloud deployment of the operator’s mobile core. The 5G cloud-native core deployment leverages near-zero touch automation to provide flexible scale performance capabilities, which empowers Telenet to develop its own telco cloud infrastructure with much less complexity – a first step in its transformation towards cloud-based services.

The scope of the partnership will also include design, deployment and integration services. Nokia will deliver its Cloud Packet Core – with evolution to 5G non-standalone and standalone deployment models, policy controller, and network management and automation functions. These will be integrated on the Google Cloud infrastructure layer based on Google Cloud’s Anthos for what is hoped to be a more seamless implementation of innovations and faster response times to market needs.

“5G and the evolving cloud era will continue to bring about a major technological shift, which is why it is imperative to remain at the heart of innovation and continue to deliver leading-edge technologies,” said Micha Berger, CTIO at Telenet/BASE. “We are excited to continue our longstanding relationship with Nokia to roll out a robust core that will support the digital transformation and economic growth of Belgian communities, as well as unlock new digital services in sectors such as healthcare, smart cities, logistics, and more.”

Jan van Tetering, senior vice-president Europe at Nokia, added: “We are delighted to be a key partner in Telenet’s 5G evolution strategy as the operator accelerates digital transformation of businesses in Belgium, spurring economic growth and enabling new innovative services and 5G use cases. As we move deeper into the cloud era, this will be a critical step for Telenet to accelerate cloud-native innovations and deliver new services and applications that meets 5G network requirements.”

The announcement comes just days after Nokia revealed that it has embarked on a collaboration programme with Google Cloud to develop new, cloud-based 5G radio systems. The companies will work on joint solutions combining Nokia’s RAN, O-RAN, vRAN and edge cloud technologies with Google’s edge computing platform and applications ecosystem. The collaboration is intended to lead to the development of technology and use cases to solve key 5G scenarios for businesses worldwide.

Amol Phadke, managing director, telecom industry solutions at Google Cloud, said of the Telenet project: “Cloud-native 5G can deliver transformative experiences for consumers and new opportunities for businesses at the network edge. We are proud to partner with Telenet to support the delivery of cloud-native 5G to businesses and consumers with modern infrastructure, built for a cloud-native 5G core.”