Nokia is preparing to introduce artificial intelligence-enabled radio access networks, known as AI-RAN, in India. Samar Mittal, the Finnish company’s head in the country, told Business Standard that the first commercial deployments could begin in 2028, alongside launches in other international markets. For now, the company is in talks with operators and is considering trials in India, although no specific agreements have been disclosed.
The technology combines Nokia’s telecommunications infrastructure with Nvidia graphics processors. According to Mittal, the two companies are working to integrate pluggable GPUs into Nokia baseband units and to use these processors on commercial off-the-shelf hardware. The executive said global trials are already underway with four to five operators, though he did not identify the participating companies.
A strategy built on software-defined networks
The move toward AI-RAN is part of Nokia’s broader strategy focused on software-defined radio networks, automation, security, and connectivity for major cloud service providers. The company says its current solutions can improve spectral efficiency by 20% and has set a target of increasing that gain to 50% over the next year and doubling current efficiency by 2028. These figures are estimates and targets communicated by the company itself.
Nokia links this technological shift to rising mobile traffic in India. Mittal said 5G data consumption has increased by 70% to reach 31 gigabytes per user per month. He also identified the expansion of data centers and enterprise demand as growth opportunities at a time when operators’ capital spending is focused primarily on expanding capacity.
According to Nokia’s representative, the collaboration with Nvidia is underpinned by a $1 billion investment by the chipmaker in the Finnish company to support global joint innovation initiatives in AI-RAN. The source did not specify what share of that investment will be allocated to India, nor did it announce a specific investment to carry out potential deployments in the country.
Manufacturing and development in India
Nokia operates a manufacturing plant in Chennai dedicated to radio and backhaul equipment. According to Mittal, the facility exports 40% of its total output to other markets. The company also maintains software research and development centers, support and network operations, and local equipment repair facilities in India.
The group views India as both an important market and a testing ground because of the scale of its user base and the diversity of applications across its networks. However, the proposed 2028 timeline for AI-RAN remains tentative: the available information confirms plans for an introduction and talks with operators, but not a commercial deployment that has already been contracted or carried out.
