Nokia Passes Control to CSPs to Deploy Applications on its Broadband Devices

Nokia will allow communication service provider (CSPs) to directly upload and manage the lifecycle of applications on Nokia’s broadband devices. CSPs are now able to circumvent firmware updates and use Nokia’s application container technology to deliver new applications. The new solution offers new possibilities for CSPs that would now be able to provide a far wider range of services.

Containers offer an environment within a device that may accommodate independently separated apps without interfering with device operations or other applications. This implies that service providers, including third parties, may introduce new services and capabilities fast, bringing up fresh new possibilities for monetization.

Photo Sandy Motley, President, Fixed Networks at Nokia
“We believe application containers are as exciting for broadband providers as was the invention of app stores for mobile devices,” said Sandy Motley, President, Fixed Networks at Nokia.

Application containers are already widely used in cloud and enterprise domains, but is an emerging market for CSPs in a CPE environment, according to Nokia.

“Application containers enable the ability for service providers to have more nimble solutions for their customers,” said John Kendall, Principal Analyst at Omdia. “Whereas previously, these new services would need to be pre-installed on the broadband gateway, containers empower service providers to easily and rapidly provide new capabilities to their customers, bringing new potential revenue streams. These can include VPN access to work from home, enhanced threat protection, better latency for streaming video and online gaming, privacy and parental controls.”

Container Application Platform

In order to make their apps available to CSPs through its container application platform, Nokia is building an international developer community. F-Secure, broadpeak for multicast ABR video distribution, Wi-Fi movement sensing cognitive systems, gamebench for performance monitoring, performance optimization cameras, Ookla for the speed test and NTOP for traffic analysis are first partners.

“We believe application containers are as exciting for broadband providers as was the invention of app stores for mobile devices,” said Sandy Motley, President, Fixed Networks at Nokia. “They open a whole new world for our customers to innovate, to create revenue streams and to bring more value to the end-users. We conservatively estimate that by 2025, 30% of broadband-connected homes will be benefiting from third party software and services delivered to the devices via applications containers.”

Nokia’s application containers will initially be available on its premium residential broadband devices including fiber, Wi-Fi and Fixed Wireless Access gateways.

Nokia’s application containers will initially be available on the following broadband devices:

  • The Nokia WiFi Beacon 6, an Ethernet gateway; tri-band Wi-Fi 6 (2+2+4 MIMO)
  • The new Nokia Optical Network Termination XS-2426G-B, with XGS-PON uplink (10 Gb/s)
  • Wi-Fi 6 with 4+4 MIMO and 160 MHz support; one 2.5 Gb/s and three 1 Gb/s LAN ports

The new Nokia FastMile 5G Gateway 3.2 for 5G network connectivity and in-home Nokia mesh Wi-Fi 6 for a complete, user-installable Fixed Wireless Access solution.