18 November 2019 - Espoo, Finland – Nokia today announced that its Common Software Foundation platform now supports Amazon Web Services (AWS). The result offers communication service providers (CSPs) additional deployment choice and faster time to service when rolling out new 5G or digital services.

The announcement, which builds on an existing relationship with AWS, marks the next step in Nokia’s move to deliver cloud-native network functions and applications, enabled by the company’s Common Software Foundation (CSF), which makes Nokia’s software products easier to deploy, integrate, use and service. 

With many Nokia-powered 5G networks now live in lead markets like the US, Japan and South Korea, CSPs are planning public cloud options to enhance their service offering and delivery. AWS provides a strong ability of extending its cloud programming model to CSPs’ premises, thus offering elasticity, scalability, service richness and security across the telecom network.

“Whether for OPEX optimization, on-demand capacity to optimize CAPEX, quick time to market, or support of 5G and other edge compute applications, public cloud deployments of advanced network software are a critical new option for CSPs,” said Analysys Mason Research Director, Dana Cooperson. “Companies such as Nokia and AWS working together is a positive step in making this option a reality.”

Since the start of the relationship in October 2017, AWS has played a key role in Nokia Software’s modernization efforts, spanning the development, delivery, and hosting services for its software infrastructure. This process required multiple steps, starting with containerizing network functions and applications in a unified fashion using CSF, and then enabling CSF and Nokia containerized software deployment on AWS. 

Early benefits of this collaboration include a CSF-based, cloud-native system for automating applications integration and customization procedures rolled out on AWS in June 2019. The system supports 1000+ Nokia applications delivery engineers across the globe.

“Interest in AWS from the CSP market segment beyond IT workloads is growing rapidly,” said Matt Garman, Vice President of AWS Compute Services, Amazon Web Services, Inc. “We are delighted to be working with Nokia and helping them leverage the power of AWS for their network infrastructure solutions and business and operational support applications.”

Nokia already offers several applications on AWS, including customer experience, service fulfillment, and orchestration solutions. Through this engineering collaboration, Nokia will prioritize 5G solutions including mobile core, network & service orchestration, and device management & operational support systems suites. Additionally, all new Nokia Software cloud-native network functions and applications moving forward will be available on AWS upon release.

“Our Common Software Foundation continues to drive commercial value forward for our customers including choice of deployment options. CSF now enables all our cloud-native network functions and applications on AWS,” said Bhaskar Gorti, President of Nokia Software. “And when we combine Nokia pre-engineered solutions with AWS deployment, CSPs will be able to commission a new 5G mobile core or provision a new service offering with the click of a button – meaningfully changing CSP economics and operational time frames.”