Story perspectives

Nokia pushes Nvidia GPUs for AI-RAN deployments

By Drooid · Sep 28, 2026, 10:56 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Nokia urges GPU adoption

Nokia urges western telcos to use Nvidia GPUs in its AI-RAN network solutions.
Nokia and Marvell Technology co-developed its final custom silicon product and will not release more.
CEO Justin Hotard said 19 operators have signed up for initial AI-RAN deployments.
Startups Pulsone, DeepSig and ZaiNar are testing AI-RAN software on Nokia-built networks.
Vodafone, Telstra and Bell Canada endorsed Cohere’s USM technology and invested in the startup.

Summary

Ericsson, Samsung favor rApps

Nokia backs the newer E3 interface for dApps, promising enhanced sensing and geo-precise location capabilities.
Ericsson and Samsung continue to favor rApps, citing preference for their own baseband technology over xApps.
Omdia reports RAN-app market spending fell from $45 billion in 2022 to $35 billion in 2025.
Projected rApp revenues are expected to reach only several hundred million dollars annually by 2030.

History

Historical Context

In 2014, Verizon and AT&T rolled out the United States’ first commercial 4G LTE networks, dramatically expanding mobile data capacity. That rollout spurred Nokia’s network division to secure €2.5 billion in LTE equipment orders, while Ericsson logged $5 billion in sales. Today, Nokia pushes Nvidia GPUs for AI-RAN, with Vodafone, Telstra and Bell Canada joining 19 operators, echoing the 2014 carrier-driven hardware surge. The pattern suggests that early-stage AI-RAN adoption may reshape RAN-app spending, potentially curbing the $45 billion market forecast to modest hundred-million-dollar revenues by 2030.

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Nokia urges GPU adoption

Nokia urges western telcos to use Nvidia GPUs in its AI-RAN network solutions.
Nokia and Marvell Technology co-developed its final custom silicon product and will not release more.
CEO Justin Hotard said 19 operators have signed up for initial AI-RAN deployments.
Startups Pulsone, DeepSig and ZaiNar are testing AI-RAN software on Nokia-built networks.
Vodafone, Telstra and Bell Canada endorsed Cohere’s USM technology and invested in the startup.

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