Nokia 5G Software Can Upgrade 5 Million 4G Tower Radios Without Climbs

Nokia developed software that can upgrade 5 million 4G tower radios to 5G without anyone climbing the towers. In an industry where upgrades usually mean expensive truck rolls this is significant.

The software upgrade approach lets carriers transition infrastructure remotely. No technician visits. No tower climbs. Just push the update and the hardware becomes 5G capable.

Nokia announced the capability and the carriers already using it.

This only works on newer Nokia equipment that was designed with software upgradability in mind. Older hardware still needs physical replacement.

Infrastructure technology evolution is usually slow and expensive. Shortcuts that actually work are valuable.

The 5G rollout has been complicated by the sheer number of towers that need upgrading. Anything that accelerates the timeline helps carriers compete.

Carriers like this because it saves money. Tower techs probably have mixed feelings since it means fewer jobs. The technology industry has never been sentimental about those trade-offs.

Nokia positions this as a competitive advantage against Ericsson and Huawei. In the ongoing 5G equipment wars features like this matter.

Announced September 2020