SoftBank partners with Nokia to launch standalone 5G services

Japanese operator SoftBank Corp., aka SoftBank, has selected Nokia's cloud-native 5G Core software to launch standalone 5G services. The deal builds on an existing relationship that extends back to the 3G era.

Announcing the collaboration, Nokia said it will help support new consumer and enterprise use cases, such as immersive experiences (VR/AR/MR), fixed wireless access, video surveillance and analytics, cloud robotics and connected vehicles with a standalone 5G Core in global markets.

"We are pleased to be expanding our relationship with Nokia as we enable fast and reliable 5G service for our subscribers. This 5G core solution will catapult us into the next phase of our 5G transition," said Keiichi Makizono, Senior Vice President, CIO of SoftBank.

With Nokia's cloud-native 5G Core software, operators get a variety of capabilities required in the 5G era that drive greater scalability and reliability. SoftBank's subscribers will also experience the benefits of 5G such as lower latency, increased bandwidth and massive device connectivity.

Furthermore, SoftBank will deploy the Cloud Mobility Manager and Cloud Mobile Gateway products from Nokia's Cloud Packet Core portfolio to support the massive scale, performance and reliability required for the delivery of Softbank's innovative 5G services.

"Nokia 5G Core's near-zero-touch automation capabilities, high-level operational efficiencies, scale and performance will help SoftBank deliver advanced services and experience, and boost network reliability. This is a tremendous way to be expanding Nokia's longstanding relationship with SoftBank," said John Lancaster-Lennox, Head of Market Unit Japan, Nokia.