Nokia announced today at the 3GSM World Congress in Cannes, France, the strategy to drive openness in all critical future product designs across the communications networking industry. Openness will further improve R&D efficiency, speed up time-to-market and help the entire industry to offer consumers and business users new mobile services in the most cost-efficient manner.
On-going standardization activities (e.g., 3GPP, IETF) are complemented with a number of de facto standardization initiatives to specify the internal interfaces of the key network elements. The aim is to create an open, competitive network-element module industry. To support this development, Nokia also will share its core module technologies with other network vendors on an equal basis to its own systems business. One of the pivotal activities of this strategy is the Open IP Base Station Architecture initiative announced today.
"New exciting mobile data services will enable operators to increase their revenues dramatically," says Dr. JT Bergqvist, Senior Vice President, Nokia Networks. "The challenge for network equipment vendors is that these new services require up to ten-fold increases in mobile bandwidth compared to current service offerings. This calls for a new level of efficiency in the communication networking infrastructure industry. IP technologies will enable new services, faster product development and lower cost, but IP alone will not be enough. Openness of internal interfaces is needed to realize the full potential of IP."
"Nokia's strategy is to open the internal architectures for standard commercial components, thereby increasing efficiency throughout the industry and bringing consumers a wider range of new, exciting and affordable mobile services," continues Dr. Bergqvist.
As part of this strategy, Nokia Networks has established a new unit to drive the openness in mobile networks and the related module business. A Technology Modules unit will develop module products and sell them on equal terms to all mobile-network equipment vendors, including Nokia itself. The Technology Modules unit has already approached several mobile-network equipment vendors regarding potential module co-operation. The first module products will be available in mid-2002.
"The technology module products will be developed based on open interfaces, which enable them to be integrated into other vendors' equipment." says Vesa Tykkyläinen, Vice President, Technology Modules, Nokia Networks. "The module products that Nokia will make available represent technology areas where Nokia has world-leading competencies."
"Network equipment vendors may choose to buy certain modules from outside while focusing their R&D efforts on their core competencies. This will make the product development faster and more economical and will lead to more innovative end products. This new business model thus benefits the communications networking industry, as well as the consumers of mobile services," adds Vesa Tykkyläinen.
Nokia is the world leader in mobile communications. Backed by its experience, innovation, user-friendliness and secure solutions, the company has become the leading supplier of mobile phones and a leading supplier of mobile, fixed broadband and IP networks. By adding mobility to the Internet, Nokia creates new opportunities for companies and further enriches the daily lives of people. Nokia is one of the most broadly held companies in the world with listings on six major exchanges.
Further information:
Communications Department, Nokia Networks
Tel. + 358 (0) 7180 38195
E-mail nokia.networks@nokia.com
www.nokia.com