Nokia and Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH) have signed a network modernization agreement to accelerate 5G deployment across Indonesia and advance the development of Artificial Intelligence Radio Access Network (AI-RAN) technologies in collaboration with NVIDIA. The initiative will expand low-band and mid-band 5G coverage while preparing Indonesia’s telecommunications infrastructure for future AI-enabled services and applications.
Under the agreement, Nokia will supply advanced radio access network technologies to support Indosat’s nationwide 5G rollout. The operator plans to deploy low-band 5G services across its entire network footprint, while mid-band 5G coverage is expected to reach approximately 80 per cent of the network within the next three and a half years. The expansion is intended to improve network capacity, performance and coverage while supporting increasing demand for high-speed connectivity.
The modernisation programme will utilise Nokia’s Habrok and Pandion radio solutions, Levante baseband systems, Centralised RAN technology and network management and automation platforms. These technologies are expected to improve operational efficiency, enhance energy performance and enable faster deployment of new digital services. The project forms part of Indosat’s broader strategy to strengthen Indonesia’s digital infrastructure and support the country’s growing digital economy.
The partnership also builds on ongoing collaboration between Nokia, Indosat and NVIDIA to develop AI-RAN capabilities, which integrate artificial intelligence functions directly into mobile network infrastructure. The companies plan to conduct AI-RAN field trials in Indonesia by the end of 2026, following a successful AI-RAN demonstration conducted during Mobile World Congress 2026. Nokia is also developing AI-based algorithms to improve spectral efficiency on NVIDIA-powered AI-RAN platforms, with these technologies expected to be tested during the upcoming trials.