Nokia’s Worldwide IoT Network Grid expands to support 5G and edge services

Nokia’s Worldwide IoT Network Grid (WING) managed service now supports 5G and edge services, with little capex investment in global infrastructures, according to a Tuesday press release.  

SEE: Internet of Things: Progress, risks, and opportunities (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

The WING model is marketed as a one-stop internet of things (IoT) enablement service, so operators can deploy and manage low latency IoT, at scale, quickly and securely. The same features now apply to 5G. Using a pay-as-you-go business model, WING enables organizations to scale 5G IoT in a cost-effective manner, as stated in the release.

The upgraded WING services will allow organizations to explore new business models including connected cars, critical public services, real-time industrial monitoring and control, and remote healthcare, according to the release.  

With Nokia’s 5G WING lab in Dallas, TX, operators across the globe can begin testing their 5G use cases, leveraging a distributed, flexible network. 

“5G holds great promise but the cost and complexity of building a dedicated, global 5G infrastructure to support IoT services is a major obstacle for CSPs (Central Service Providers),” said Brian Partridge, vice president of applied infrastructure and DevOps channel at 451 Research, in the release. 

“We expect such managed services that demonstrate success in accelerating the ‘time-to-
value’ or de-risking 5G investment for both enterprises and CSPs will generate strong demand,” Partridge added.

Bringing connectivity to the edge 

In accordance with the 5G addition, Nokia WING also allows the user plane functions to be both extended and separated to the network edge or enterprise premises. This move to the edge helps create the ultra-low latency expected from 5G-enabled IoT devices, according to the release. 

The distributed WING infrastructure can also be enhanced with Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) technology, which would improve support for compute-heavy IoT services including augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and cellular vehicle-to-everything use, as noted in the release. 

These use cases can further be bolstered via network slicing in WING’s cloud native architecture, according to the release. 

Half of industry experts in TechRepublic’s latest CIO Jury said that 5G will speed up the adoption of IoT. Businesses can prepare for that reality by equipping themselves with the right tech infrastructure. 

For more, check out How 5G can unlock IoT’s potential on ZDNet. 

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