Radio access networks

A radio access network, or RAN, is the part of a mobile network that uses radio technology to connect devices such as smartphones and IoT devices to the wider network. To do this, it uses physical cell site equipment, such as antennas, radios and baseband products. The RAN also manages radio resources across sites to ensure traffic is carried reliably to other services and destinations, including the Internet.

Nokia’s RAN solutions are built for flexible deployment and strong performance, delivering the highest capacity and efficiency while supporting cutting-edge network capabilities. Our advanced hardware and software portfolio is extensive, from our broad portfolio of Habrok Massive MIMO radios — used in many of the world’s leading mobile networks — to our scalable, future-ready AirScale baseband products. As AI-RAN evolves, it will drive major advances in radio network innovation and differentiation.

Traditional RAN is built on dedicated network hardware, including antennas, radios, baseband and software, and is designed mainly to provide mobile connectivity. AI-RAN goes further by embedding artificial intelligence into the RAN, combining connectivity with AI compute to create a software-defined, AI-native platform. In addition to delivering high-performance radio access, it can use its built-in AI processing for other tasks. In effect, AI-RAN turns the radio network from a connectivity layer into an intelligent platform that can improve performance, lower costs and create new revenue opportunities.