Nokia Enables 5G Private Network at UBT Kosovo

Nokia will deploy industrial-grade Nokia Digital Automation Cloud 5G standalone (SA) private wireless networking at the University for Business and Technology (UBT) in Pristina, Kosovo.

Under an initial three-year agreement, Nokia will provide UBT with 5G SA private wireless connectivity. This will enable development of 5G-based research and testing for a number of use cases driven by immersive, Internet of Things (IoT) and AI technologies, as part of efforts to drive research and innovation.

The network will be based on Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC), a digitalization platform capable of providing reliable, high-bandwidth, very high device density and low latency through different enabling technologies and capabilities such as edge computing, slicing and virtualization. As part of the agreement, Nokia will also provide solution integration, deployment and support services.

Edmond Hajrizi, Founder and President, University for Business and Technology, said: “The ability to deploy the first dedicated 5G private wireless network in Kosovo will enable us to remain at the forefront of research and development locally. It provides immense impetus as we explore new applications and use cases that we believe will drive innovation and will have an impact on the Kosovan digital economy overall.”

Michael Siegel, Director Sales, Nokia Enterprise South-East Europe, said: “UBT’s investment in 5G with Nokia represents a major breakthrough for both organizations in the region. Internationally, we see leading research institutions turning to the reliable, secure and high-bandwidth capabilities of 5G to accelerate their research into immersive, IoT, analytics, AI and automation – which all contribute to advancing Industry 4.0.”

Research at UBT supports Kosovo’s ambitions to establish a knowledge society by working with enterprises and the public sector to deploy infrastructure that supports research, development and innovation. This will ultimately contribute to attracting resources at local and international levels and support the country’s future economic prosperity.

Nokia 5G private wireless networking enables an array of research initiatives including the 5G4KMU project in Baden-Württemberg and the Technical University Kaiserslautern in Germany.

A compact, easy-to-deploy platform, Nokia DAC comprises 5G Core and 5G radio access network, a cloud-based operation monitoring system and industrial connectors that ease standard and industry-specific protocol connectivity. It also features new device management capability that seamlessly integrates 5G smartphones and other wireless devices.

Nokia has deployed mission-critical networks to over 1,500 leading customers in the transport, energy, large enterprise, manufacturing, webscale, and public sector segments around the globe. Leading enterprises across industries are leveraging decades of Nokia experience building some of the biggest and most advanced IP, optical, and wireless networks on the planet.

The Nokia Bell Labs Future X for industries architecture provides a framework for enterprises to accelerate their digitalization and automation journey to Industry 4.0. Nokia has also pioneered the private wireless space with many verticals, and now has more than 260 large enterprise customers deploying it around the world, of which over 40 incorporate 5G.