Nokia has been building networks since before most engineers were born. Here’s what their AI-RAN looks like in March 2026. 
While everyone talks about NVIDIA at GTC — Nokia quietly deployed AI-RAN in three continents.
Here’s the complete breakdown. 
─────────────────────────
The Fundamental Shift Nokia Is Driving 
- Traditional RAN → Hardware-defined. Rule-based SON. Fixed DSP. Vendor locked. Nokia AI-RAN → AirScale-defined. AVA-powered AI/ML. ReefShark SoC. Open + programmable.
- Same tower location. Completely different intelligence inside.
─────────────────────────
The Nokia AI-RAN Stack — 4 Layers 
AI Applications Layer → Edge AI, predictive maintenance, AI-driven energy optimization Nokia AVA for RAN → AI-accelerated SON, L1/L2 optimizations, security Nokia ReefShark SoC → Integrated AI accelerators, low power, high density Nokia AirScale Cloud RAN → Containerized RAN on COTS, multi-cloud capable- One platform. Runs RAN workload AND AI workload. Scalable and cloud-native from day one.
─────────────────────────
3 Operator Milestones — MWC 2026
Deutsche Telekom Concurrent Massive MIMO deployment on Nokia AirScale 6G early validation at 3.5 GHz Adaptive beam management live in field
KT Corporation (Korea) Industry-first O-RAN field trials with AI-driven energy saving AI commercialization path formally defined O-RAN + AI convergence proven in live network
Verizon Pre-commercial field validation of AI-RAN automation Cross-domain data fusion demonstrated Joint 5G/AI solutions moving toward commercial launch
─────────────────────────
Key Hardware Platforms 
AirScale Massive MIMO → AI beamforming. Up to 64T64R. Sub-6 GHz + mmWave.
AirScale Cloud RAN → Containerized NFs. COTS servers. Multi-vendor cloud.
ReefShark Chipset → High-performance SoC. AI + RAN on same silicon.
Nokia Edge Cloud → MX Industrial Edge. Low-latency AI + RAN edge apps.
─────────────────────────
The Interfaces Powering Nokia AI-RAN 
- O-RAN interfaces correctly implemented: → O1 = SMO ↔ Managed Elements → O2 = SMO ↔ O-Cloud → A1 = Non-RT RIC ↔ Near-RT RIC → E2 = Near-RT RIC ↔ gNB → F1 = cCU ↔ cDU → Open FH = cDU ↔ O-RU (Split 7-2x over eCPRI)
- Nokia software modules: cCU | cDU | cRIC Open source contributions: ONAP | O-RAN SC | Linux Foundation | ONF
─────────────────────────
The Road to 6G 
- Lab Trials →
Complete (Nokia Labs) - Over-the-Air Field Trials → Complete (Deutsche Telekom)
- Pre-Commercial Validation →
- Complete (KT Corp) Commercial Deployment → In Progress 2026/2027
- 6G AI-Native RAN → Target 2030+
LinkedIn:
