Nokia Rejigs Strategy to Meet New Frontiers in Cloud Connectivity

A new logo. A ravishing metaverse-centric approach and to top it all, a newly defined company strategy– that’s Nokia for you today. For a Finnish company that remained the pillar of global wireless telecom industry, Nokia has set its eye on the future of connectivity. It not only unveiled a new logo to announce its transformation but also laid down a clear roadmap for fixed, mobile and cloud networking technologies.

Here’s a quick recap of what Nokia announced from MWC Barcelona 2023 (#MWC23).

Accelerate R&D at Nokia and seize opportunities in Cloud Connectivity

Nokia would jump into the -as-a-service market with its new cloud-centric strategy.

Nokia continues to execute against its three-phased strategy to deliver sustainable, profitable growth. Having completed the reset phase, Nokia will continue to accelerate while laying the foundation for the scale phase as an undisputed technology leader and having broadened its customer base. Today’s announcement supports Nokia’s long-term financial targets which were re-iterated with Q4 2022 financial results.

Nokia’s refreshed company strategy is focused on further acceleration across six pillars:

• Grow market share with service providers, driven by continued technology leadership;
• Expand the share of Enterprises within its customer mix;
• Continue to manage its portfolio actively, to ensure a path to a leading position in all segments where it decides to compete;
• Seize opportunities from sectors beyond mobile devices to monetize Nokia’s IP and continue to invest in R&D for Nokia Technologies;
• Implement new business models, such as as-a-Service; and
• Develop ESG into a competitive advantage and become the “trusted provider of choice” in the industry.

To deliver these pillars Nokia has four key enablers: develop future-fit talent; invest in long-term research, especially in key domains such as 6G; digitalize its own operations to further improve agility and productivity; and refresh the brand.

Pekka Lundmark, President and CEO of Nokia, said: “We see the potential of digital to transform business, industry and society with an opportunity for significant gains in productivity, sustainability and accessibility. Our market-leading critical networking technology is increasingly needed by customers and partners in every industry. We see a future where networks go beyond connecting people and things. They’re adaptable, autonomous and consumable. They are networks that sense, think and act, and they maximize the opportunity of digitalization.

“Today we share our updated company and technology strategy with a focus on unleashing the exponential potential of networks – pioneering a future where networks meet cloud. To signal this ambition we are refreshing our brand to reflect who we are today – a B2B technology innovation leader. This is Nokia, but not as the world has seen us before.”

Bring cost-effective open Cloud RAN solution to the market

Nokia has signed a new MoU with HPE to deliver cost-effective open Cloud RAN solution for 5G services. Both HPE and Nokia are committed to delivering solutions that enable the full potential of 5G by delivering a high performing, competitive, and cost-effective open Cloud RAN solution to market in order to support the growing demand for 5G services.

“The combination of our technology and expertise creates more compelling and integrated solutions that accelerate the adoption of open technologies and bring innovative solutions to the market faster. By collaborating with our best-in-class partners we can deliver competitive advantage to organizations embracing Cloud RAN,” said Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia.

Technology strategy

Nokia’s updated technology strategy details how networks will need to evolve to meet the demands of the metaverse era.

As the world evolves to increasingly rely on connectivity, the network will become the underlying fabric to everything digital where network performance and consumability will have equal weight and importance. The qualities of traditional networking will be required to integrate with the flexibility and scalability of cloud.

These networks that sense, think and act have the potential to bring the transformative power of networking to every industry.

Nokia is well positioned to lead this transformation through its expansive best-of-breed portfolio and industry-leading disruptive research from Nokia Bell Labs. Today at MWC, Nokia launched a new slate of products and services to demonstrate and enhance its technology leadership.

Brand refresh

In line with its updated company strategy, Nokia is refreshing its brand to signal who it is today: a B2B technology innovation leader realizing the potential of digital in every industry. The new brand asserts the value Nokia brings in networking expertise, technology leadership, pioneering innovation and collaborative partnership.

The company’s new logo is emblematic of an energized, dynamic, and modern Nokia, demonstrating its values and purpose. It has been designed as a symbol of collaboration, which Nokia believes to be critical for realizing the exponential potential of networks: unlocking gains in sustainability, productivity, and accessibility.

Closing thoughts

Nokia’s rebranding is a strategic move to enter new 5G market. For instance, it recently announced an extension of its 5G deal in Singapore. This makes Nokia Antina’s sole supplier of 5G Standalone (SA) network in Singapore. It will also focus on Industry 4.0 use cases to power next-gen digitization with Mission-Critical Industrial Edge (MXIE).

Its AVA Customer and Mobile Network Insights is already winning hearts of CSPs at MWC 2023. With so much happening at Nokia in the last few days, a fresh outlook to business was need of the hour. And, Nokia has done it successfully with a results-centric approach.