Core Insights - Nokia has made significant advancements in its AI-RAN partnership with NVIDIA, showcasing new customer integrations and successful functional tests at Mobile World Congress 2026, emphasizing the transformative potential of AI-driven radio access networks in enhancing 5G capabilities and paving the way for AI-native 6G [1][6][12] AI-RAN Technology Development - AI-RAN technology is evolving from validation to commercial deployment, with Nokia and NVIDIA collaborating to create a software-driven platform optimized for AI, which is essential for the transition to AI-native networks and 6G [2][3] - The telecommunications industry is shifting towards fully software-driven systems, allowing networks to be built more efficiently and responsively to business needs [3] Customer Integrations and Demonstrations - Nokia has successfully tested GPU-accelerated AI-RAN workloads with T-Mobile U.S., Indosat, and SoftBank Corp., demonstrating the technology's scalability and efficiency in real-world environments [5][6][8] - At MWC26, multiple live demonstrations of AI-RAN technologies were showcased, including applications that optimize network operations and improve energy efficiency [12] Ecosystem Expansion - Nokia has expanded its ecosystem of AI-RAN partners, including Dell Technologies, Quanta, Red Hat, and SuperMicro, which are crucial for building the infrastructure needed for AI-native RAN [10][11] - The collaboration with these partners marks a significant step towards the commercialization of AI-RAN, enabling telecom operators to innovate and transform their networks [10][20] Strategic Partnerships - Leading operators such as BT, Elisa, NTT DOCOMO, and Vodafone Group are adopting AI-RAN technologies, indicating a strategic direction for the industry [6][8] - The partnership with Red Hat aims to enable AI-RAN technologies on a common cloud-native platform, facilitating the scaling of AI and RAN workloads across hybrid cloud environments [11][19]