Shares of Nokia Corp ADR (NYSE:NOK) rose 5.3% in premarket trading on Wednesday following the company's announcement that it has expanded AI-driven radio access network testing with a diverse group of telecommunications operators.
The company said it is advancing both proofs of concept and live trials of its AI-RAN technology with A1 Group, Chunghwa Telecom, du, e&, Mobily, stc, TPG Telecom and Zain Saudi, leveraging NVIDIA Aerial RAN Computer. Nokia said operator participation now covers North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.
Nokia described its AI-RAN platform as a combination of its AI-native anyRAN software and NVIDIA's Aerial RAN Computer, designed to raise network capacity and improve spectral efficiency. The company said the platform has already produced improvements in spectral efficiency exceeding 20% through AI-supported radio innovations, and it presented a roadmap to achieve additional software-driven efficiency gains in both 2027 and 2028.
According to Nokia, the technology is intended to change the nature of radio networks by making them programmable platforms capable of supporting traditional connectivity and emerging AI workloads, while lowering dependence on regular hardware refresh cycles. Nokia emphasized that as AI applications reshape traffic patterns and drive higher uplink demand, operators are looking for solutions to increase network capacity and create monetization opportunities.
"Together with NVIDIA and our growing ecosystem of partners, we are helping operators transform their networks into intelligent, programmable platforms that can support both connectivity and AI services," said Emma Falck, President of Mobile Infrastructure at Nokia.
The announcement follows earlier AI-RAN milestones at Nokia, including what the company calls the industry's first commercial AI-native RAN platform and evaluations with operators such as T-Mobile, SoftBank and Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison. Nokia added that trials with previously announced operators, including NTT DOCOMO, remain in progress.
The broadened testing program underscores operator interest in software-led network upgrades as providers seek to adapt to evolving traffic demands without relying solely on traditional hardware replacement cycles. Nokia's updates highlight both immediate trial activity and a multi-year software roadmap tied to efficiency improvements.
Note: This article reports the company's statements about trials, delivered efficiency figures and planned roadmap years as provided by Nokia.