The companies claim that the two-year initiative will inject innovation into the telecoms ecosystem.
“Collaborating with Nokia Networks on this scouting program will open up the opportunity to introduce new network technologies in strategic areas, faster than before, guaranteeing the support of a leading OEM like Nokia Networks,” said Sandro Dionisi, EVP and director of global advisory services at Telecom Italia.
“The initiative will give us access to innovators, mainly but not only in Silicon Valley, speed up and improve technical development, leading to newer and better services for our consumers.”
Terms of the agreement include the joint technical scouting of innovative startups focussed on NFV, SDN, RAN and SON (self-organising networks), as well as proof-of-concept deployments of systems, solutions and services.
“Startups are a rich source of innovation that can provide building blocks for various telecom and digital services. In particular, we see immense potential in areas such as NFV, SDN, RAN Evolution and SON,” said Hossein Moiin, EVP and CTO at Nokia Networks.
“Together with Telecom Italia, we will further engage with the wider ecosystem of technology companies, identifying disruptive innovators and developing new solutions in these domains.”
Telecom Italia and Nokia Networks are both members of an industry forum looking to accelerate the ecosystem around narrowband IoT.
