Nokia & AT&T Renewed Partnership for 5G and Fiber

Nokia and AT&T have had a dynamic relationship over the years, marked by both collaboration and challenges. It all started in 2004 when Nokia introduced the 6651 model, a 3G phone designed for the North American market. This device was among the first to operate on AT&T Wireless’s UMTS network.

Later, in 2012, Nokia partnered with AT&T to launch the Lumia 900. This flagship Windows Phone aimed to strengthen Nokia’s presence in the U.S. market.

Besides mobile phones, Nokia also worked with AT&T in the networking business. The partnership was mostly successful. However, some issues emerged. By 2023, reports suggested that AT&T had shifted its focus to Ericsson, one of Nokia’s biggest competitors. This move caused a significant loss for Nokia and was expected to reduce its revenue by around $1 billion by 2025.

Despite this setback, Nokia and AT&T renewed their partnership in September 2024. Their multi-year agreement focused on improving AT&T’s fiber broadband network. This deal positioned Nokia as a key provider of next-generation fiber technology. The goal was to expand and upgrade AT&T’s extensive fiber infrastructure.

Now, Nokia and AT&T are taking another step forward. They recently signed a new multi-year agreement to improve AT&T’s voice services and 5G network automation in the U.S. This collaboration aims to upgrade voice carriage and implement cloud-based voice core applications. By integrating AI and machine learning, the companies plan to introduce advanced 5G features. However, the financial details of the deal remain undisclosed.