NIB lends €250m to Nokia for 5G R&D

The Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) on Monday granted a loan of EUR 250 million to Nokia for research and development activities related to 5G technology.

The loan, which has an average maturity of approximately five years after disbursement, will finance Nokia’s extensive research and development programme focused on 5G activities in Europe in 2018-2020, said a Nokia press release.

The investment will especially concentrate on developing new 5G-related end-to-end product offerings for different business areas.

5G is the next generation of wireless systems beyond the current 4G standards, providing a substantial increase in network capacity, reducing latency delays and enabling network slicing. Network slicing gives network operators greater ability to differentiate their services to match clients’ needs.

Nokia’s 5G research and development programme also focuses on the implementation of the “Internet of Things”, machine-type communication between the things humans have invented. In practice, this means a network of different devices, such as home appliances, vehicles and other electronics, being able to exchange data wirelessly.

“The business opportunities of 5G are numerous, as it will be the first mobile generation designed from the beginning for machine-type communication. Nokia’s research and development is likely to benefit not just the telecom sector, but also several high-technology operators in our member countries,” said NIB President & CEO Henrik Normann.

“We are pleased to receive this financing commitment from the NIB, which shares our view of the revolutionary nature of 5G. This financing will further support 5G research and development in Europe and it bolsters the momentum we have already seen this year as the era of 5G begins,” said Nokia CFO Kristian Pullola.