Verizon partners with Nokia to launch private 5G platform

Leading telecom services provider Verizon on Tuesday said it has partnered with Nokia to launch its international private 5G platform for global enterprises located in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

The offering will enable businesses to deploy a private industrial grade dedicated 5G network capability within their premises.

In addition to ultra-low latency and increased speed, a key benefit of a private 5G network is the ability for businesses, particularly those with manufacturing, distribution and logistics facilities, to deploy a customised on-site mobile network, eliminating the need to transmit data through public networks.

"Today, we've announced the next phase of Verizon's global 5G vision with the launch of private 5G for our international customers," Tami Erwin, CEO, Verizon Business, said in a statement.

"If the past few months have taught us anything, it's that there's never been a more critical time for mobility, broadband and cloud products and services. Private 5G networks will be a transformative technology that will drive the new era of disruption and innovation for enterprises around the world."

A private 5G network is a self-contained network whose components all reside in a single facility, consisting of micro towers and small cells and connects to an organisation's Local Area Network (LAN) and enterprise applications.

It will utilise Nokia's Digital Automation Cloud, a private wireless network solution with automation enablers that will allow for application deployment through a web-based interface.

"Private wireless connectivity has become central to many industries in realising their long-term digital transformation goals," said Brian Fitzgerald, Senior Vice President Global Solutions at Nokia.

"By delivering private 5G together with Verizon, we're paving the way to accelerate digitalization for the most demanding industries who crave reliable wireless connectivity."

The announcement follows recent mobile edge computing (MEC) partnership announcements with Microsoft, Cisco,IBM and Amazon Web Services (AWS).

In August, Verizon announced its successful completion of lab trials with Corning and Samsung on its new 5G mmWave in-building solutions.