Telefónica and Nokia have signed a strategic agreement to accelerate the development and deployment of private 5G networks in the Spanish business environment.

The agreement is set to run for the next three years, and is designed to give Spanish companies access to up to 100 different Nokia services related to digitisation in the cloud (Nokia Digital Automation Cloud), private mobile networks (Modular Private Wireless), edge computing for industry (MX Industrial Edge) and industrial devices.

The global comms tech firm and operator said their proposal is especially aimed at the industrial and logistics sector due to each sectors’ need for hyperconnectivity and analysis of the thousands of data they produce daily, essential for real-time decision-making.

Services encompassed by the deal will be supported by the Telefónica Spain network. The operator added that it will also provide its experience and resources as a national operator, consulting and maintenance, and Big Data and internet of things connectivity capacity through Telefónica Tech. This will see the availability of the operator’s capabilities as a technology integrator and its existing experience in accompanying companies in their digitisation processes.

Telefónica said the technologies involved in the partnership will enable greater interconnection of smart devices, facilitating the collection, monitoring and analysis of key business data in real time, making manufacturing processes more efficient and sustainable.

It added that the private networks that rely on these 5G capabilities make it possible to guarantee a quality of service through the mobile network by prioritising communications. It said these make it possible to provide the customer with specific capabilities such as low latency communications.

The result of such private networks, said the operator, is that many of these processes can be automated, optimising company resources and facilitating cost reduction, while at the same time improving product and service quality.

García-Nevado, director of enterprises at Telefónica Spain, said: “This collaboration with Nokia is aligned with our vision of empowering the industry with cutting-edge technology in a new era in which artificial intelligence and the use of data lead the way forward. This strategy is preceded by more than 90 use cases with real customers for the exploration of 5G capabilities.”

Nokia’s European head of enterprise campus edge business, Rolf Albrecht, added: “This exciting collaboration with Telefónica will continue to enable enterprises to pave the way to digitisation. Our private wireless and Edge On-Premise Computing solutions are designed to meet the mission-critical needs of asset-intensive industries, providing them with benefits beyond connectivity, including increased worker safety and reduced emissions, according to our latest 2024 report for industrial digitisation.”