Nokia, NTT DATA expand global Private 5G partnership

Nokia has announced a global go-to-market partnership with the leading digital business and IT services leader, NTT DATA, to advance Private 5G transformation in key sectors such as airports and smart cities. The collaboration addresses the growing need and demand for reliable and modern connectivity solutions for critical business and municipal operations and is already demonstrating success with key customers.

The first North American deployment is an enterprise-ready, carrier-grade Private 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) for the City of Brownsville, marking a key milestone for the collaboration. The City of Brownsville leverages Nokia’s leading 5G radio access portfolio and NTT DATA’s globally available Private 5G Network-as-a-Service platform (P5G), which delivers a comprehensive, turnkey solution that goes beyond connectivity to deliver exceptionally reliable, high-bandwidth, low-latency wireless capabilities for their mission-critical environments.

Private 5G infrastructure supports the city’s immediate needs for seamless connectivity to manage and operate applications for increased public safety, operational efficiency, and sustainability and offers flexibility and scalability for future demand and use cases. It will also position Brownsville as a leader in smart city innovation in North America.

Empowering the future of digital transformation
The collaboration between Nokia and NTT DATA will lay the foundation for more connected and efficient urban environments across the globe and create a powerful synergy that ensures the successful delivery of Private 5G that supports digital transformation initiatives. NTT DATA brings a robust partner ecosystem together for the successful development, implementation, and management of applications, infrastructure, and connectivity. Nokia’s “anyRAN for Enterprise” approach offers more choice and flexibility for enterprises through collaboration with best-in-class systems integrators like NTT DATA and cloud core solution providers alongside Nokia’s AirScale radio access portfolio to suit their specific requirements and accelerate and simplify the adoption of Private 5G.

Experience and industry blueprint: Nokia’s extensive experience in deploying global, large-scale network solutions, together with NTT DATA’s seamless integration of IT & OT applications, ensures a reliable, secure, high-performance Private 5G network capable of scaling growth.
Innovative applications: The versatility of Nokia’s and NTT DATA’s innovative use cases, including AI, IoT, edge computing, and real-time analytics applications, allows enterprises to harness the full potential of advanced wireless technology to drive operational efficiency and innovation.
Global ecosystem and customer wins: Nokia and NTT DATA have also delivered Private 5G solutions for Cologne Bonn Airport and Fraport AG, Germany’s largest airport, empowering these organizations to enhance operational efficiency and enable real-time, data-driven decision-making.

Jorge Cardenas, Chief Information Officer at Brownsville, said: “As Brownsville continues to grow as a prominent tech hub, the deployment of a Private 5G network is essential. This cutting-edge network will provide faster connectivity and foster the adoption of emerging technologies. By prioritizing Private 5G, we're positioning Brownsville to stay ahead in technological innovation and economic progress.”

Shahid Ahmed, Executive Vice President of Edge Services at NTT DATA, said: “We’re seeing an unprecedented demand for flexible, high-performance private networks. With NTT DATA’s globally available Private 5G platform, we’re uniquely positioned to deliver solutions that meet the needs of today’s industries while ensuring long-term operational resilience. Our partnership with Nokia’s Private 5G RAN allows us to bring our combined strengths to airports, cities, and beyond - delivering scalable, secure, and high-speed connectivity that accelerates digital transformation.”

Mark Atkinson, Head of RAN at Nokia, said: “We are proud to collaborate with NTT DATA to deliver best-in-class network solutions that enhance public services and accelerate the digital transformation of key sectors such as smart cities and airports. Nokia’s Private 5G RAN, combined with NTT DATA’s technology services, creates the ideal platform for a wide range of use cases and we look forward to partnering on further innovations together.”