Nokia added more options to its fledgling Software-as-Service (SaaS) portfolio for operators, rolling out new tools to help boost energy efficiency across the network and manage a wide range of CPE. It also announced the commercial availability of its Anomaly Detection tool, which was unveiled in November 2021.
Hamdy Farid, Nokia’s SVP of Business Applications at Nokia, said in a statement its latest SaaS offerings “reflect the path Nokia is leading to help our customers accelerate their time to value; reduce complexity; and automate the services lifecycle through software consumed purely on demand.”
The company’s new Analytics Virtualization and Automation for Energy tool uses artificial intelligence to monitor network traffic patterns and make adjustments to resources when usage is low. The SaaS can also benchmark the efficiency of passive infrastructure like batteries and power supplies and help operators spot energy anomalies which could contribute to unexpected energy drain.
Nokia claimed its AI-based tool can yield energy savings two-to five-times higher than other systems which simply perform temporary resource shutdowns on a fixed schedule.
It also touted a new vendor-agnostic Home Device Management offering which will provide operators with a single platform to manage in-home devices ranging from residential gateways, fixed wireless access CPE and IP set-top boxes to connected appliances and thermostats. Using the tool, Nokia said operators can automate mass activation and supervision of home devices, manage device firmware and apps, view real-time CPE diagnostics and access a secure interface for devices and OSS systems.
Both new offerings are commercially available today, as is Nokia’s previously announced Anomaly Detection tool, which uses machine learning to find and fix network anomalies before they affect customers.
Nokia previously said its telco SaaS push is centered on capturing its fair share of what it sees as a roughly $3.1 billion addressable market. But it’s not alone in expanding its SaaS offerings: the vendor faces competition from the likes of VMware as well as Hewlett Packard Enterprise.