Innovate at scale with
Nokia’s Telecom SaaS

What is Telecom SaaS and how does it work?

Telecom SaaS is a service delivering a business outcome that is bought as a subscription and based on cloud-native software. It’s delivered with a fully digitalized business experience and a fully automated services lifecycle, that is designed for any carrier-grade network. Simply put, with the SaaS model, communication service providers are provided access to the software they need instead of buying it outright, typically through a usage-based subscription purchased on a monthly or yearly basis.

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What customers and industry analysts are saying
Benefits of SaaS
Telecom SaaS – Why, when and how to start the journey
Is SaaS the same as cloud?
The difference between IT SaaS and Telecom SaaS
Secure and deliver at scale
Nokia Telecom SaaS Solutions
Related solutions
Learn more about SaaS

What customers and industry analysts say about Nokia SaaS

Tony Poulos, TM Forum
Dan Bieler, Forrester Research
Markus Kinnunen, Vice President Cloud Services at Elisa
Roberto Kompany, Service Provider Networks at Omdia
Raúl Simmons Pérez, Analysys Mason
Justin van del Lande, Analysys Mason
Gorkem Yigit, Analysys Mason
Caroline Chappell, Analysys Mason
Don Alusha, ABI Research
Heather Leigh Flannery, Equideum Health
Michael Soper, TBR

Telecom SaaS for Dummies

Nokia's special edition: Everything you need to know about Telecom SaaS

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What are the benefits of Telecom SaaS

Telecom SaaS is about improving value and reducing complexity by providing software that is always the latest version and consumed purely on demand through a subscription, eliminating large up front capital expenditure; by freeing CSPs of the burden of putting their networks through software maintenance and updates; and, by accelerating CSPs’ ability to launch new services faster and see “time to value” quicker.

Faster time to value:

Enables rapid customer adoption and use of service by reducing the time spent on software installation and configuration
Provides outcome-based solutions and services, increasing the value proposition of the service
Facilitates ecosystem partners and customers in co-creation of value

Greater business agility:

Permits automated scaling and on-demand resource availability, according to customer need
Provides swift service provisioning, often within minutes or hours
Enables customers to remain up-to-date with frequent and efficient delivery of software patches and upgrades

Improved financial performance:

Requires limited upfront investment and no additional hardware or physical space
Eliminates financial risk related to software maintenance and upgrades
Provides improved cost management, lower total cost of ownership (TCO) and compelling economies of scale
Lowers entry barriers to market evaluation

Software as a service -SaaS Demo

Why, when and how to start the journey

Why, when, and how to start the journey

Webinar: Turbocharging 5G innovation with Telecom SaaS

Elisa’s journey to Telecom SaaS and 5G monetization

The six principles of the SaaS universe

The economic case for Telecom SaaS

Why it's time to start the Telecom SaaS journey

Why you should trust Telecom SaaS

Demystifying Telecom SaaS security with executives from AWS and Nokia

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Is SaaS the same as cloud?

At a high level, SaaS is a type of cloud service model. SaaS solutions reside in cloud environments (which are managed by a dedicated cloud vendor) and are often integrated with other software offerings from the same SaaS solution provider. Well-designed SaaS architecture must be able to scale and accommodate hundreds or even thousands of users who will be accessing the software simultaneously over the cloud or the web.

Compared with the traditional approach of installing and maintaining software on-premises, with the SaaS model telecom companies don't have to worry about adding another server on which to run the software. The SaaS provider takes care of all server capacity planning. Telecom companies only need to enable a new SaaS offering — and they get the flexibility to scale their SaaS use up and down based on specific needs.

In addition, because the software is delivered over cloud-based architecture, telecom companies do not need to download upgrades or reinstall new versions of a product. Any updates or patches to a service are handled by the SaaS provider.

The difference between IT SaaS and Telecom SaaS

How to think beyond the standard IT definition of SaaS, to include the requirements of telco-grade workloads?
What appears to be a nuanced difference between the definitions of IT and Telecom SaaS is that they are designed to handle the rigors of managing telco workloads. Keep in mind that when an IT SaaS workload fails, that service is effectively “off-the-grid”. In contrast, when a telecom SaaS workload fails, the grid is subsequently at risk because the role of a Comm SPs is to provide the grid itself! So, the seemingly nuanced difference is not really a nuance at all. Rather, Telecom SaaS involves a significant degree of specialized capabilities required to support carrier-grade availability, scalability, resiliency, performance, and security.

White paper

Analysys Mason: The A-to-Z of SaaS purchasing

Why automation is essential for a great customer experience

Automating current tools and operations in the telecommunications industry is a step in the right direction, but it is not enough to keep up with the rapidly evolving demands of the market. While automation can help streamline processes and improve efficiency, it does not address the need for more flexibility and scalability in the face of ever-changing customer needs and technology developments.

Telecom Software as a Service (SaaS) offers a new vehicle for the industry to meet these needs. SaaS allows telecommunications companies to access the latest software and technologies without the need for large capital investments or extensive in-house IT resources. This means that they can quickly and easily adapt to new developments, such as 5G, IoT, and edge computing, and offer new and improved services to their customers.

In addition, SaaS also provides a more cost-effective and flexible solution for the telecommunications industry, allowing companies to pay for only what they need and scale up or down as required. This will be crucial for the telecom companies to stay competitive in the market.

Overall, automating current tools and operations is a necessary step, but it is not enough for telecommunications companies to remain competitive in today's fast-paced digital world. Adopting Telecom SaaS is necessary to keep up with the changing demands of the market and stay ahead of the competition.

How Nokia helps secure and deliver SaaS at scale

The shift from products to SaaS comes with benefits.

Nokia’s approach to telecom SaaS is to improve business agility by significantly reducing the time typically required to realize the value of the investment in the communications business and networking applications. A SaaS business model reduces investments in large upfront capital expenditures and accelerates the ability to launch new services more rapidly, realizing faster time to value

Nokia SaaS is designed specifically for the telecom industry. That means you can trust that it's reliable, secure, and built with your unique needs in mind. With Nokia's deep telecom domain knowledge, you can be confident that their SaaS environment is tailored to the specific challenges and opportunities of your business.

In addition to its technical advantages, Nokia SaaS also offers a digitized experience through its SaaS business platform. This platform enables you to manage your telecom operations with ease, from provisioning and billing to customer service and analytics. With Nokia SaaS, you can streamline your business processes and get the insights you need to make informed decisions.

Finally, Nokia SaaS offers a breadth and depth of portfolio that is unmatched in the industry.

Our mission is to create technology that helps the world act together by delivering innovative, contemporary SaaS networks and services, and enabling Nokia customers to rapidly deliver new, profitable communications services to their respective markets. With a comprehensive suite of SaaS offerings, Nokia can help you meet your business goals and stay ahead of the competition.

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How Telecom SaaS helps to accelerate ESG goals for CSPs

Telecom SaaS solutions enable communication service providers (CSPs) to:

gain better better control over their communication expenses
optimize network usage
reduce energy consumption through better asset utilization

Additionally, Telecom SaaS solutions provide real-time network data and analytics, which can help companies monitor and reduce their carbon footprint, extends hardware life with less HW consumed, improve their supply chain transparency, and identify areas for improvement in their ESG practices.

By adopting Telecom SaaS solutions for telecom management, CSPs can not only reduce costs but also promote sustainability, which can ultimately enhance their ESG performance and reputation.

How real-time network data and analytics helps companies improve ESG goals

Telecom SaaS solutions offer real-time network data and analytics. This can help companies to:

monitor and reduce their carbon footprint
extend hardware life with less HW consumed
improve supply chain transparency
identify areas for improvement in their ESG practices

By adopting these solutions for telecom management, CSPs can reduce costs and promote sustainability. This, in turn, can enhance their ESG performance and reputation.

Nokia Telecom SaaS Solutions

AVA Charging

The advent of 5G technology is revolutionizing the telecom industry through innovative use cases and business models. 98% CSP’s plan to alter their BSS to monetize 5G - however traditional BSS transformation is a lengthy and complex process. Through a SaaS model, AVA Charging accelerates 5G BSS transformation with fast proven integration with 5G SA network functions. It also provides CSP’s the capability to rapidly bring new commercial products to market through an inbuilt product catalog and no-code charging configurators.

Nokia Data Marketplace

Nokia Data Marketplace (NDM) is a private permissioned blockchain-based solution for secure business-to-business i.e. B2B data exchange and monetization, and driving the development of B2B2X ecosystems. It enables data providers and consumers to share and transact data and other digital assets like algorithms privately and securely, establishing vital trust between market participants while ensuring compliance with governments. It unlocks multiple use-cases across industry verticals including supply chain, transportation, healthcare, telecom, smart cities, governmental agencies, etc.

NetGuard Cybersecurity Orchestration

NetGuard Cybersecurity Orchestration provides a trusted hybrid SaaS deployment model, consisting of both on-premises and cloud components. It provides the coverage of network elements and connections from telco Radio Access Network (RAN), Transport and Core workloads for faster threat detection and response. Automated responses allow security analysts to create cyber playbooks that perform faster remediation actions to lowering the cost of breaches.

AVA Anomaly Detection for Telecom

AVA Anomaly Detection for Telecom helps CSPs to spot the most important hidden patterns and connections in the mass of telco network data, patterns that might point to anomalies. This allows telco operators to take action to increase efficiencies and provide a better customer experience.

AVA Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF)

AVA Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) helps CSPs to improve customer experiences and use their 5G investments to create new sources of revenue. It also enables more predictive and proactive network operations.

Nokia iSIM Secure Connect

iSIM Secure Connect is a fully automated secure remote subscription provisioning (RSP) and lifecycle management SaaS solution which helps CSP’s and enterprises speed up time to market with new services for eSIM and iSIM consumer and M2M devices.

AVA AI for Energy efficiency for telcos

AVA AI for Energy efficiency for telcos achieves up to 30% energy savings and less CO2 emission for radio networks since it minimizes all kinds of energy waste across active radio and auxiliary equipment. The AI-driven automation can be implemented in a matter of weeks and thus provides the fastest track towards massive energy savings.

Home Device Manager

Home Device Management (HDM) is an intelligent automated broadband device management SaaS solution to help CSP’s offer assured high performance broadband and smart device management to the home.

Altiplano Access Controller

The Altiplano Access Controller is an open cloud-native platform offering network management as well as SDN control functions to operate and automate broadband access networks through open APIs. Altiplano supports SDN-native, legacy and third-party equipment. Its zero-touch operations, powerful intent life-cycle management and ready-made automation tools provide the support and insights to plan, optimize and assure network services. The applications are easy to customize and can also be extended using the Developer Portal.

5G Core Network

Nokia Core SaaS provides CSPs and enterprises the option of running the heart of their network through a highly flexible, fully automated, scalable software model that enables greater business agility and faster time to value for delivering and monetizing network services. CSPs and enterprises can consume core software on-demand through a more cost-effective subscription service that eliminates large up-front capital expenditure and avoids the need to perform on-site software maintenance and updates.