Realizing that AI, 5G and Internet of Things are going to drive industries of tomorrow, Microsoft and Nokia announced a strategic collaboration this week.

The Finnish smartphone company was acquired by Microsoft before five years. The present plan is to marry Microsoft cloud solutions to Nokia’s expertise in mission-critical networking. Microsoft’s Azure, Azure IoT, Azure AI and Machine Learning solutions can turn out to be hot combos if bridged to Nokia’s LTE/5G-ready private wireless solutions, IP, SD-WAN, and IoT solutions.

The goal is to help in industrial digitalization and automation across various enterprises.

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To Help Build Smart Factories and Smart Cities

Cloud and IoT will the driving force of Fourth Industrial revolution. The new coalition has the potential to mint solutions that will simplify the automation journey of enterprises. It will equip CSPs to play a vital role in helping customers identify the potential for industrial digitization.

Nokia’s Digital Automation Cloud (Nokia DAC) is a 5G-ready industrial-grade private wireless broadband solution. It has on-premise Azure elements. They together can offer several advantages like the ability to connect smart tools and machines. This will help in productivity, provide safety for workers.

Ultimately, this will make cities smarter when autonomous vehicles and robots are brought to the play. BT Group is the first global communications service provider to offer its enterprise customers a managed service that integrates Microsoft Azure cloud and Nokia SD-WAN solutions.

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Nokia’s AVA in Azure

Microsoft and Nokia will jointly host Nokia’s Analytics, Virtualization and Automation (AVA) cognitive services solutions on Azure. These AI solutions will equip CSPs to shift private data centers into Azure. For instance, Predictive Video Analytics can be published to ensure optimal video experiences for CSP subscribers. This could reliability by up to 60 percent.

“We are thrilled to unite Nokia’s mission-critical networks with Microsoft’s cloud solutions. Together, we will accelerate the digital transformation journey towards Industry 4.0, driving economic growth and productivity for both enterprises and service providers,” said Kathrin Buvac, President of Nokia Enterprise and Chief Strategy Officer.

Onboarding, Asset Tracking Made Easy

Another potential of the collaboration will be the development of Nokia’s Worldwide IoT Network Grid (WING) with Azure IoT Central. This integration can make the onboarding, deployment, management and servicing of IoT solutions seamless.

The integration can grant CSP a special platform that includes vertical solutions to enable secure connected IoT services. The services can include asset tracking and machine monitoring on a national or global scale. Nokia has made substantial progress in 5G technology recently. It had signed a $3.5 billion deal with T-Mobile to provide cutting edge 5G gear.

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