By Oystein Bergmann, Correspondent Scandinavia
NOW Corporation and NOW Telecom Company, Inc. (NOW Group) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Finnish technology leader Nokia to introduce 5G network and 5G use cases in the Philippines.
Under the MoU, collaboration between the three parties will focus on the expansion of NOW’s current broadband telecom network by rolling out a 5G standalone network in the Philippine market. Joint development projects may also be undertaken under the scope of the MoU which also provides a strategic direction for all parties leading to a commercial framework agreement.
The collaboration with Nokia signifies the pivotal point in NOW Group’s strategy in penetrating the growing demand of broadband connectivity and multimedia services in the enterprise, government and residential market segments. Under the MoU, collaboration between the companies will also focus on the appropriate use cases of the 5G technology in the Philippine market.
As of November 30, 2020, Nokia has 133 commercial 5G contracts worldwide, positioning it as a global leader in the delivery of 5G solutions.
Most of the countries that are deploying 5G is non-standalone (NSA) whereby 5G radio networks are being overlaid on existing 4G networks. 5G standalone (SA) delivers enhanced mobile broadband and ultra-low latency. 5G SA supports multimedia services and applications, such as Industry 4.0 for manufacturing, 8K video quality streaming, mobile AR and VR applications and other use cases for enterprise, government, and residential market segments.
“This NOW-Nokia Agreement on 5G Collaboration shall bring about the multi-gigabit broadband Internet era in the Philippine Telecom, Media and Technology markets. NOW’s strategy is clear: to expand its current guaranteed service to high-end markets via 5G Fixed Wireless Access and extend this compelling customer experience to consumers via 5G mobile cellular broadband service. Having no legacy networks, NOW’s Standalone 5G Network shall rise above competition. With Nokia as our technology partner, we are confident NOW and its customers would succeed,” says Founder and Chairman of the NOW Group of Companies, Mel V. Velarde.
“We’re delighted to support NOW in realizing the full vision of 5G. 5G SA, with its high speed, low latency performance and edge computing will enhance business processes, bring new applications and benefits to consumers, and the wider industry. We’re confident that our market-leading technology will play a crucial role in setting the right conditions for 5G to become a success in the Philippines,” said Country Manager for Nokia Philippines, Andrew Cope.
It can be recalled that NOW Telecom received its renewal of provisional authority in September 2020 to install, operate, and maintain a nationwide mobile telecommunications system. The authority is not specific to 3G or third generation mobile communications technology but can extend to other technologies such as 4G, 5G, or even outer space.
