STOCKHOLM – Nokia (NYSE: NOK) has signed a contract with Deutsche Telekom to roll out a mobile network using Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) in more than 3,000 sites in Germany, the Finnish telecom equipment maker said in a statement on Wednesday.
The new deal formally marks Nokia’s return as a supplier to Europe’s largest network after Deutsche Telekom chose Ericsson equipment for parts of its network in 2017.
The deal, which includes Fujitsu, covers a mass rollout of ORAN-compliant technology with commercial deployment already underway in the Neubrandenburg area of Northern Germany.
After the companies did a trial run last year, Nokia will replace equipment from the incumbent, China’s Huawei.
Both Nokia (NYSE: NOK) and Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) have been looking to sell equipment with ORAN technology that promises deep cost cuts by using cloud-based software and equipment from many suppliers instead of relying on just one.
Ericsson had already got big contracts with AT&T (NYSE: T) and Spain’s largest telecoms operator, MasOrange.
