Nokia and Nvidia drive smart radio networks toward the field, Gulf operators test software upgrade to sixth generation

The AI-powered radio access network architecture moves from early laboratory evaluation to live field testing, following Nokia’s announcement that it is expanding trials of its platform built on Nvidia processors with a group of telecom operators worldwide, paving the way toward native AI-enabled sixth-generation networks. This phase sees direct participation from major telecom operators in the Middle East, led by STC, Mobily and Zain Saudi Arabia, alongside Etisalat and du in the UAE, as well as international operators such as A1 Group, Chongqing Telecom and TPG Telecom.

The joint platform combines Nokia’s native AI-powered “In-Run” software with Nvidia’s “Aerial Run” computing, aiming to turn base-station towers and radio broadcast sites from closed infrastructure into flexible, programmable platforms that support both communications services and AI workloads. Nokia’s data indicate that this architecture delivered more than a 20 % increase in spectrum-efficiency through smart radio algorithms, and it outlines a software-development roadmap covering 2027-2028, allowing operators to extract greater value from existing spectrum and infrastructure investments without waiting for conventional hardware-replacement cycles.

This approach represents a fundamental shift in the wireless network upgrade model.Operators had to replace all physical equipment with each technological leap, incurring costly investment cycles. Emma Valk, head of mobile infrastructure at Nokia, explains that combining the company’s software with Nvidia’s computing platforms establishes a software-defined architecture for advanced 5G networks that provides a direct software upgrade path to 6G, while also turning the network into a distributed computing fabric that supports AI applications at the edge to meet the growing demand for upstream data transport.

Remi Pascal, leader of mobile infrastructure research at Omdia, notes that the diversity of operators participating in the trials across different regions reflects an emerging industry consensus that integrating AI into the radio layer has become a strategic priority for operational performance rather than merely a research topic. These developments build on earlier Nokia-led tests with companies such as SoftBank, T-Mobile and IndoSat Ooredoo, alongside ongoing field trials with Japan’s NTT Docomo.

For decision-makers and engineers in Gulf and Arab markets, this development reshapes telecom operators’ capital-spending priorities directly. Instead of draining budgets on periodic replacement of terminal equipment and radio sites, the bet shifts toward concentrated investment in open compute platforms and continuous software upgrades. This shift enables operators to cope with the sharp rise in upstream data traffic generated by computer-vision devices and smart sensors in large urban and industrial projects, while offering options for local data processing without overburdening central data centers with constantly flowing data streams.

This software-centric architecture demands a deep redefinition of operational skills.Work in network-operations rooms now requires familiarity with distributed computing engineering, GPU hardware packs, and algorithm acceleration rather than solely classic radio-frequency engineering. As these trials expand across Gulf cities, telecom operators edge toward becoming providers of intelligent edge compute infrastructure, opening a new business model that leverages communication towers as distributed AI inference platforms for local companies and entities.