Nokia has signed a major 5G deal with the largest British telecommunications BT, after the exclusion of Huawei!
Following the UK's announcement in July that it would ban Huawei equipment from rolling out its network , the partnership is announced, suggesting Nokia is replacing Huawei's remaining infrastructure share in the network with BT.
Philip Jansen, CEO of BT Group, said in a statement: “It is critical in a fast-paced and competitive market that we make the right technology choices.”
Under the agreement, Nokia will provide 5G equipment and services to BT radio sites across the UK.
Specifically, BT will use Nokia’s AirScale Single Ran (S-RAN) equipment to provide indoor and outdoor coverage to its customers. This equipment includes base stations and radio access products.
The Finnish telecoms company said it would become BT's largest infrastructure partner as a result of the deal, with industry sources telling CNBC it would account for 63% of BT's total 5G network. However, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Nokia currently powers BT's network in London, the English Midlands and some rural areas. That will soon change as it expands.
Nokia President and CEO Pekka Lundmarksaid in a statement: “Our two companies have worked together for more than a quarter of a century to bring better connectivity to people across the UK. We are proud to support BT’s 5G network development and look forward to working even more closely in the years to come.”
In July, British Culture Secretary Oliver Dowdensaid that mobile network operators in the country would be forced to stop buying equipment by the end of the year. He also stressed that it was necessary to completely remove Huawei equipment from their infrastructure by early 2027, according to CNBC.
This is a significant reversal for the UK, which in January gave Huawei limited access to the country’s next-generation 5G mobile networks. Under previous guidelines, mobile network operators were required to reduce the kit’s share of parts of their infrastructure to 35% by 2023.
“We embrace fair competition as it drives innovation for the consumer and the more diversified a supply chain is, the more competitive it becomes. UK networks face reliance on just two suppliers for 5G from the start of 2027, delaying 5G network deployment and undermining the diversity of supply that is vital to network security.”
