Vodafone Group Plc (NASDAQ: VOD) and Nokia Oyj (NYSE: NOK) have come together to launch a developed ML (machine learning) product that will run the Google Cloud network. This product is designed to find and rectify network anomalies before Vodafone’s clientele quickly gets impacted by them. Developed after the 2020 Nokia-Vodafone agreement and in conjunction with Nokia Bells Labs tech, this machine learning product is being launched in Vodafone’s Pan-European networks. The product is meant to quickly find and remedy irregularities and anomalies, like mobile site interference and congestion, affecting customer service quality.
This product was initially deployed in Italy on over 60,000 4G cell phones. Following this initial deployment, the company is set to extend the service across its pan-European markets by early next year. Anomaly detection is typically given “as-a-service.” This is a vital part of the Cloud and Network services strategy Nokia uses. In fact, the company is even planning to apply this particular service to Vodafone’s core and 5G networks.
Vodafone expects about 80% of its anomalous capacity demands and mobile network issues will both be found and rectified automatically using this new service. Deployment on Google’s Cloud network will allow Vodafone technicians and engineers to make more informed and faster decisions, such as boosting mobile capacity where its customer needs it most. This will be based on the information managed via Google Cloud’s reliable and secure analytics and data services. In addition, this detection service will allow for network data streaming to the company’s data analytics platform. This will enable simultaneous analysis of data across all the multi-vendor environs.
This Vodafone-Nokia agreement complements Vodafone’s 6-year agreement with Google Cloud, which has also partnered with Nokia. As a result, the company can now jointly develop and create integrated cloud-based functionalities backed by several software and networking engineering expertise hubs.
Vodafone’s Chief Technology Officer, Johan Wibergh, said that they were building a programmable and automated network designed to respond to customers’ needs faster. As the company extends 5G capability all over Europe, it’s important also to match both the responsiveness and speed of this new, innovative technology.
