Nokia sees its post-handset future in 5G networks and Internet of Things

Teams up with Japanese telco NTT DoCoMo to work on proof of concept for future network technology

While its handset business is no more, Nokia is busy planning for a new future focused on networks as it teams up with Japanese telecoms giant NTT DoCoMo to work on 5G technologies.

Nokia's phone unit was subsumed into Microsoft at the end of April, leaving the former Nokia Siemens Network (NSN) division as the remaining Nokia brand. Nokia announced a new chief executive last week, Rajeev Suri, and he said the focus would be on networks, intellectual property and wearable technology.

As part of this, Nokia will work with NTT on the research and standardisation of 5G technologies and the development of proof of concept systems. This collaboration will include ongoing work on millimetre wave technology at 70GHz.

Nokia's chief technology officer for its Networks division, Hossein Moiin, said this work was vital to ensure the firms were able to meet the next wave of innovation in the mobile market, including the Internet of Things revolution.

"Expanding our co-operation with NTT DoCoMo on 5G radio technology is an important step towards defining future mobile networks," he said.

"Future wireless networks will interconnect not just humans but also machines and objects, creating a vibrant overlay of virtual and physical worlds with a huge variety of use cases. Together with the industry, we need to make sure that 5G technology offers the right tenets to serve these use cases flexibly and profitably."

Work on 5G technologies has already begun in the UK too, with a £35m research centre in Surrey focusing on the area and operator EE already considering how it expects future services to impact its network requirements.