Nokia agreed a multi-year deal to provide AT&T with its next-generation fibre access technologies across the US operator’s current footprint and for future expansions.

While financial terms of the five-year agreement were not disclosed, it is a large customer win for Nokia after AT&T opted for rival Ericsson’s open RAN equipment in 2023..  

AT&T executives have touted the company’s fibre deployment plans as being key for its long-term success, which includes the convergence of mobile and fibre-based services.

The Finnish vendor’s Lightspan platform is designed to support a range of current and next-generation PON technologies including 10Gb/s, 25Gb/s, 50Gb/s and 100Gb/s.

AT&T will also use Nokia’s Altiplano access controller to drive increased levels of automation across its network and service operations.

Nokia stated the fibre products are compliant with the Build America, Buy America (BABA) programme, which requires products to be manufactured in the US.

Chris Sambar, head of network at AT&T, stated the company’s fibre expansion will enhance broadband services for millions of its customers and set the stage for digital innovation across Industry 4.0, smart cities, IoT applications and ultra-high-definition streaming.