The deal will see the deployment of Nokia’s latest AirScale solutions to support cutting-edge applications such as artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, and industrial automation.
Elisa will deploy Nokia’s energy-efficient AirScale Radio Access Network (RAN) portfolio, including Habrok 32 Massive MIMO radios and Pandion multi-band remote radio heads.
The agreement also covers compact Tuuli 26e and ultra-performance basebands such as Ponente, Lodos, and Levante, powered by Nokia’s ReefShark System-on-Chip technology.
The new AirScale Dual Boost base station technology will maximise the potential of Elisa’s existing base station assets by boosting both uplink and downlink processing power.
Nokia’s cloud-native Voice Core solution, the Cloud Native Communication Suite (CNCS), will also be implemented.
CNCS brings together multiple IMS voice functionalities into a single, energy-efficient cloud-native network function, delivering operational improvements and estimated energy savings of up to 20%.
In addition, Elisa will utilise Nokia’s SR Linux-based data centre switches, Event-Driven Automation platform, and 7750 Service Router-based gateways for telco cloud interconnection.
Key Nokia Core solutions included in the deal are Subscriber Data Management, Cloud Signaling Director, and the Nokia Cloud Platform, helping Elisa enhance automation, reduce manual workload, and improve security and data centralisation.
Sami Komulainen, COO at Elisa said: “As a pioneer in 5G, we are investing in new 5.5G features that enhance AI usage in phones, computers, and businesses. The world's first customers are already using 5.5G in Elisa’s network, and together with Nokia, we are expanding access to this technology.”
In parallel, Nokia also announced that O2 Czech Republic has become the first operator in the country to deploy 5G Standalone (SA) using Nokia’s 5G SA Core Software.
This allows O2 to offer next-generation services like network slicing, while improving energy efficiency, network security, and enabling near-zero-touch automation.
With 4.7 million subscribers, the deployment positions O2 Czech Republic to open new revenue streams without vendor lock-in, offering more rapid service delivery and enhanced customer experience.
As of the end of Q1 2025, Nokia led globally in 5G SA Core network deployments, with 52 operators live and 125 CSP customers.
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