Nokia and Accenture have announced a partnership to deliver network technology and management services for telcos exploring digital transformation.

The Nokia Accenture Business Group will, Nokia says, help operators and enterprise users make the leap to digitally-focussed networks by combining Nokia’s IP networking software products with Accenture’s business services and consulting specialism. The agreement is focussed on five main solution areas, including next-gen enterprise service delivery, CEM and big data analytics, software defined networking and software defined data centre services powered by Nuage Networks – acquired as a result of the Alcatel-Lucent purchase.

The agreement is an extension of the Accenture Alcatel-Lucent alliance deal which was announced in September 2014. According to Accenture, the original alliance worked with operators like TIM, Telefónica and WIND, helping to enhance customer experience and optimise networking infrastructure.

Citing the holy trinity of 5G, IoT and cloud; Nokia’s Chief Strategy Officer, Kathrin Buvac said the partnership is a necessary step in reaching a global audience in a time when a vast amount of digital evolution is occurring at rapid speeds.

“Today’s pace of technological change, driven by the transition to 5G, the Internet of Things and cloud, is demanding extraordinary new capabilities from the network,” she said. “Working with a strong, complementary partner like Accenture enables us to extend our reach to new customers and markets and to truly drive what we consider to be a transformational era in networking. Nokia has the global scale, innovation muscle and end-to-end portfolio to lead this change and, ultimately, to expand the human possibilities of the connected world.”

Chief executive for Accenture’s communications, media and technology operating group, Bob Sell, was equally effusive in his enthusiasm for the agreement; citing a big catalyst for the deal was the exponential demand for higher quality wireless broadband.

“We look forward to working with Nokia to help companies rapidly transition to modern digital networks,” he said, “While software-defined networks provide great operational efficiency, even more importantly, they offer tremendous potential for developing new services and revenue streams. This new business group – which combines Nokia’s world-class technology with Accenture’s deep experience in building and monetising modern networks – will help fulfil the ever-increasing demand for broadband services over wireless networks. The collaboration is consistent with our strategy of working at the heart of the digital ecosystem and growing our network services to enable communications service providers to undergo the transformation they need to thrive.”

In other Nokia news, it has also announced an MoU with Türk Telekom on developing a 5G RAN infrastructure capable of handling the requirements of IoT. According to Nokia, the agreement will see both companies focus on developing a cloud-based architecture for radio and the mobile core, with a particular focus on Network Slicing.