Nokia has unveiled a significant expansion of its network portfolio at Mobile World Congress 2026, marking a new phase in how 5G networks are built and optimized for the emerging age of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven connectivity. At the core of this announcement is the new generation of Doksuri Remote Radio Heads, engineered for efficiency, intelligence, and ease of deployment. These innovations reinforce Nokia’s commitment to delivering high-performance, energy-efficient, and future-ready network infrastructure that meets the rising demands of operators and enterprises around the world.

As telecommunications providers accelerate their transition to AI-native network architectures, the need for sustainable and flexible solutions has never been greater. Nokia’s expanded AirScale portfolio designed with AI-ready capabilities helps address this need while positioning the company as a leader in wireless network evolution.

Transforming Radio Access Networks for the AI Era

The heart of Nokia’s portfolio expansion is the introduction of Doksuri Radios, a new class of remote radio heads that sets new benchmarks in performance and sustainability:

Enhanced energy efficiency — Doksuri Radios achieve up to 30 percent better power efficiency under typical network traffic conditions, reducing both carbon footprint and operating costs.
Lightweight design — At up to 25 percent lighter than comparable radios, these units simplify site logistics and installation.
Faster deployments — A unique mounting system can cut installation time by as much as 70 percent, accelerating rollout timelines for operators.

Built on next-generation System-on-Chip (SoC) technology, Doksuri Radios bring more processing power closer to the network edge. This reduces latency and increases network responsiveness, which is especially important as AI workloads generate complex traffic patterns that traditional infrastructure struggles to handle.

AI-Ready Architecture and Future-Proof Technology

What sets this portfolio apart is its foundation in AI-ready design. Rather than adding intelligence as an afterthought, Nokia embeds advanced processing capabilities directly into the radio hardware itself. This focus enables:

AI-RAN readiness — Radios equipped for intelligent decision making at the radio layer support evolving AI-RAN architectures that anticipate and adjust to network demands.
Compatibility with open interfaces — Support for Open RAN front-haul standards extends the flexibility of deployment across diverse vendor ecosystems.
Scalability to next-generation networks — Designs that anticipate the transition from 5G to 5G-Advanced and, ultimately, to 6G put operators on a clear path toward future technologies.

By moving intelligence deeper into the radio network, operators can unlock performance gains that contribute to reduced operating expenses and improved service quality. These gains are crucial for delivering enriched experiences in bandwidth-intensive applications such as immersive media, extended reality, and connected industrial systems.

Beyond Hardware: Software and Automation

In addition to hardware advancements, Nokia is also evolving its software ecosystem to accelerate network automation and orchestration. A key highlight showcased at MWC26 is the Marketplace for Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) — a platform that enables operators and partners to build, evaluate, and deploy automation applications with greater ease.

Key Benefits of the SMO Marketplace

Accelerated automation — Operators can automate complex tasks that once required manual oversight, reducing errors and freeing up engineering resources.
Multivendor flexibility — An open environment promotes collaboration and innovation by allowing software from different vendors to coexist.
Rapid rApp deployment — Service enhancements built on rApps can be deployed quickly, helping to optimize performance and user experience.

This approach underscores Nokia’s belief that the software layer will be as critical as the hardware layer in the AI era. By empowering ecosystem partners and operators with tools to enhance automation and intelligence, Nokia is positioning itself at the forefront of network innovation.

Demonstrations and Industry Validation

At the Barcelona event, Nokia’s booth (#3B20, Hall 3) became a hub for showcasing not just new technologies but also real-world demonstrations of how AI-RAN can improve network operations. These live exhibits highlighted improvements in:

Energy efficiency through smarter network adaptation
AI-driven optimization of traffic flow
Automation of network configuration and fault resolution

Industry analysts and operators alike have recognized the importance of embedding intelligence at the network edge. According to Joe Madden, Founder and Chief Analyst at Mobile Experts, the innovation in intelligent radio hardware plays a critical role in supporting future demands for capacity and reliability.

Strategic Context in a Changing Industry

Nokia’s portfolio expansion occurs within a broader industry trend toward AI-driven network infrastructure. Across MWC26, major players emphasized how AI and cloud integration will define the next decade of network development. Research firms predict that networks with built-in AI capabilities will dramatically improve resource utilization and create new monetization opportunities for service providers.

Partnerships with companies such as Nvidia further exemplify this trend. A strategic collaboration announced in 2025 involved significant investment from Nvidia to accelerate the development of AI-RAN and 6G infrastructure, blending Nokia’s radio expertise with high-performance AI compute platforms.

Conclusion

Nokia’s announcement at Mobile World Congress 2026 represents a strategic expansion of its network portfolio designed to meet the demands of the AI era. By delivering Doksuri Radios that combine smarter processing, improved efficiency, and flexible deployment with software innovations such as the SMO Marketplace, Nokia empowers operators to build networks that are high-performing, sustainable, and future-ready. This approach underscores a broader industry movement toward AI-driven architectures where intelligence is not an add-on, but a core component of network design.

The expanded AirScale portfolio positions Nokia to lead in the transition from traditional RAN toward AI-native networks, setting the stage for the evolution from 5G to even more advanced future generations.