Together with NOW Telecom, Nokia is creating a 5G standalone network in the Philippines.

Nokia is doing something that will make us go nuts. Nokia that NOW Telecom has chosen Bell Labs Consulting, a division of Nokia, to design a nationwide network for 5G Standalone (SA) as well as design and planning for a national broadband network. Nokia will also design and deploy a pilot 5G network in Metro Manila as part of the agreement.

The grant received by NOW Telecom from the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) to support the development of 5G mobile and fixed wireless networks in the country has facilitated this initiative. While the consulting work will begin next month, the proof of concept (POC) will be completed in July of this year.

Nokia's network planning and design will assist NOW Telecom in raising funds to build the country's first 5G Standalone (SA) network and provide differentiated services.

NOW Telecom will be able to meet the growing demand for reliable and secure digital services from both household and enterprise customers with Nokia's assistance in network design and planning, as well as its automation software to manage network operation. To connect the unconnected and  improve network speed and latency, NOW Telecom intends to offer Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) 5G services. I'm happy that Nokia is back on track, it might not be mobile phones as of the moment but this one is something we need to look forward to.