Nokia has unveiled the industry’s first commercial AI-RAN platform, introducing a new generation of intelligent radio networks designed to help telecommunications providers maximize existing infrastructure while accelerating the transition toward AI-native and future 6G networks.
Built on Nokia’s AI-native network architecture and powered by NVIDIA’s Aerial AI-RAN platform, the solution enables operators to unlock significantly greater uplink and downlink capacity from their existing spectrum and radio assets without relying on costly hardware refresh cycles.
According to Nokia, the platform has already demonstrated more than 20% improvements in spectral efficiency through AI-driven radio innovations. The company aims to achieve 50% spectral gains by 2027 and exceed 100% by 2028, allowing operators to support substantially more traffic while reducing network costs and improving customer experiences.
The AI-RAN platform combines Nokia’s anyRAN software with NVIDIA’s accelerated computing to transform radio access networks into intelligent, software-defined platforms capable of continuous improvement through AI. Supporting 4G, 5G and future 6G evolution, the solution is fully Open RAN compliant, enabling interoperable multi-vendor deployments and greater flexibility for operators.
To support different deployment strategies, Nokia introduced three AI-RAN adoption paths, including GPU-powered upgrades for existing AirScale deployments, standalone AI-RAN nodes for maximum scalability and cloud-native AI-RAN solutions built on industry-standard accelerated computing infrastructure.
The platform also introduces a subscription-based software model that enables operators to continuously access AI innovations, network optimization capabilities and future software enhancements without waiting for traditional hardware upgrade cycles.
Pilot deployments are scheduled to begin later this year, with commercial availability expected in 2027.
The launch represents one of the most significant advances in radio network architecture in decades, positioning AI as the foundation for future mobile networks while helping operators improve network economics, accelerate innovation and prepare for the next generation of digital connectivity.
