Nokia wins new three-year 5G RAN deal with Virgin Media O2

Nokia said Monday it has won a new three-year deal with Virgin Media O2 to supply Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment from its industry-leading AirScale portfolio. The deal will cover 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G networks across Southern England, and supports Virgin Media O2's continued efforts to deliver a best-in-class network experience to its customers.

"Virgin Media O2 is a long-standing partner of over twenty years and this new deal is a testament to their continued trust in our technology leadership. This extended deal will see even more people benefit from enhanced mobile connectivity delivered by our latest generation of AirScale solutions that will help build the foundations for the United Kingdom's digital transformation," said Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia.

As part of the deal, Nokia will supply its latest generation of Habrok massive MIMO radios and AirScale Baseband and Interleaved Passive Active Antennas (IPAA), powered by the energy-efficient ReefShark System-on-Chip (SoC) technology. This advanced equipment, as claimed by the company, not only enhances 5G performance but also significantly reduces energy consumption by 30%, while simultaneously reducing weight and volume by 40%.

Furthermore, Nokia's Single RAN solution will allow Virgin Media O2 to simultaneously operate 5G, 4G, 3G, and 2G technologies from a single base station. This integrated approach will accelerate the rollout of 5G coverage across the region. Additionally, Nokia's NetAct network management system will provide a consolidated network view, enabling enhanced monitoring and management capabilities.

According to Nokia's press release, Virgin Media O2 has the option to pilot its commercial intelligent controller, showcasing the potential of advanced 5G use cases. The deal also grants the opportunity to explore the deployment of 5G Cloud RAN in the future, augmenting existing cloud infrastructure with 5G wireless connectivity.

To ensure efficient operations, Nokia will also provide its Digital Operations Center, offering comprehensive services for network design, deployment, and assurance. This includes innovative solutions to support network modernization while prioritizing network security.

"We continue to invest in our network upgrading and expanding our 4G and 5G networks to customers across the country. This is delivering superior connected experiences and supporting the UK's digital transformation that will drive long-term growth. Continuing our partnership with Nokia will help us to deliver even better 5G with higher speeds and lower latency, as well as ensuring we are set up for future growth in line with our customers' ever-evolving demands and needs," said Jeanie York, Chief Technology Officer at Virgin Media O2.