Finnish kit maker Nokia has been globetrotting, opening a new research facility in India and winning new customers in Brazil.
According to Telecoms.com, starting with the former, Nokia has launched a new 6G lab at its Bengaluru R&D site that focuses on some of 6G’s fundamental technologies and potential use cases.
First and foremost is the idea of the network as a sensor. It’s the idea that the network is able to detect objects, people, and movement without the need for on-board sensors.
Nokia claims it is key to bridging the gap between physical and digital environments and will enable people to interact with their surroundings in new but intuitive ways, and even let them see round corners, apparently. It sounds gimmicky, but in areas like transportation, for example, having detailed, real-time information about the immediate vicinity would no doubt prove useful.
The lab will also take a look at network automation, privacy, algorithms, and sustainable system design.
In parallel with the new lab, Nokia said it is also building up partnerships with leading research institutes, like the Indian Institute of Science and the Indian Institute of Technology.
These efforts are all part of Nokia’s contribution to ‘Bharat 6G Vision’, the ambitious plan – announced in March by prime minister Narendra Modi – to launch 6G in India by 2030.
“The inauguration of the Nokia 6G research lab in Bengaluru today is another step towards PM Narendra Modi’s vision of making India an innovation hub,” noted Ashwini Vaishnaw, India’s minister of railways, communications, electronics and IT. “Interesting use cases coming out of this lab will be related to transportation safety, health care and education which will be another big contribution in the entire Digital India suite.”