As advanced 5G services are rolled out, Nokia announced two new SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) services in the areas of analytics and security as part of its strategy to give communication service providers (CSPs) and corporates a far more flexible and cost-effective method of servicing their customers, operating, and monetizing their networks.
The new services follow Nokia's recent entry into the SaaS space, which aims to help CSPs and enterprises boost the time to value they derive from their services offerings by moving to an agile model based on software consumed purely on demand through a subscription, rather than customized software running on expensive, complex on premise infrastructure.
With AI/ML-driven closed-loop automation, Nokia AVA NWDAF improves network operations, improves customer experience (CX), and generates new income streams.
AVA NWDAF enables CSPs to deliver analytics at the network edge, implement 3GPP-defined analytics services, and form collaborations with software developers thanks to its distributed design and open APIs.
Embedded SIM (eSIM) and integrated SIM (iSIM) technologies, unlike traditional SIMs, can store and manage numerous subscriber profiles remotely for authenticating users and devices on mobile networks. iSIM Secure Connect provides you complete control over the eSIM/iSIM management process, as well as the ability to monetize services based on verified digital identities.
Nokia's iSIM Secure Connect allows CSPs and corporations to securely manage machine-to-machine and consumer device subscriptions for eSIM- and iSIM-enabled devices through a SaaS delivery architecture.
Nokia is enhancing its AVA offering with additional SaaS functionalities based on NWDAF (Network Data Analytics Function), which is part of the 5G Standalone architecture since the complexity of 5G networks has raised the requirement for sophisticated analytics.
Later this quarter, AVA NWDAF will be commercially accessible via a SaaS delivery model. iSIM Secure Connect by Nokia has planned to be accessible as a SaaS later this year, although users will be able to utilize it in other ways. Nokia's NetGuard Cybersecurity Dome and Nokia Anomaly Detection, both announced in November 2021 as SaaS solutions, will be available later this quarter. NetGuard Cybersecurity Dome allows CSPs to ensure 5G networks and monetize security through services such as 5G slicing, whereas Nokia Anomaly Detection is a machine learning service that finds and fixes network abnormalities before they harm users.
Later this year and through 2023, Nokia expects to launch further SaaS services in the areas of core, digital operations, monetization, and private wireless.
Nokia strives to serve critical features through open-source application programming interfaces (APIs) that are operable across numerous hyper scale platforms as its SaaS product roadmap progresses. This will result in a multi-vendor SaaS delivery architecture that leverages Nokia's relationships with key cloud providers as well as its continuous investments in cloud-native software and other technologies.
“To fully tap the wealth of opportunities that advanced 5G services offer, communication service providers and enterprises need new deployment models that enable faster service delivery to customers in a smarter, more cost-effective manner. Solution suppliers such as Nokia with its new Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) security and analytics services, are turning to SaaS as a means for helping the telecom space modernize and monetize investments faster.”
Karl Whitelock, V.P. Research, Communications Service Provider Operations & Monetization at IDC
Raghav Sahgal, President of Cloud and Network Services at Nokia stated, “Adopting Nokia AVA NWDAF and iSIM Secure Connect through the SaaS model will greatly improve the time-to-value that CSPs and enterprises can realize by having on-demand access to services. These latest Nokia SaaS services strengthen our leadership position in helping our customers change the very foundation of how our industry does business.”