Belgian telecommunications company Citymesh has launched the world’s first commercial mobile service based on 5G Core Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), using technology from Nokia and Amazon Web Services (AWS). The new service aims to change how telecom providers build and scale their networks by adopting a subscription-based model instead of traditional infrastructure-heavy approaches.
The SaaS model allows operators to reduce initial capital spending and operational complexity. It offers catalog-based service creation, flexible network capabilities, and faster deployment of new features. Pricing is predictable through subscriptions and pay-as-you-grow infrastructure.
Citymesh is deploying Nokia’s Core SaaS for Business, hosted on AWS’s global cloud platform, to support enterprise customers in sectors such as venues, airports, hospitals, offshore settlements, emergency services, drone operations, and transportation. The solution also supports Citymesh’s new mobile offering for self-employed professionals and subject matter experts. This approach enables Citymesh to create tailored service plans without extensive engineering or ongoing integration work.
Using AWS cloud infrastructure provides scalability to manage demand spikes across different enterprise environments without requiring upfront investment in hardware. The multi-region architecture ensures high availability suitable for telecommunications needs, while security controls address industry requirements.
Robin Leblon, Chief Technology Officer at Citymesh, said: “Launching the world’s first commercial 5G Core SaaS service is a major milestone for Citymesh. With Nokia’s Core SaaS on AWS, we can scale faster, reduce complexity and upfront investment, and deliver secure, high-performance connectivity tailored to our enterprise customers. And what’s more, it allows us to develop a telecom offering tailored for all businesses, including the self-employed and SMEs.”
Nokia’s Core SaaS for Business provides reliability with AWS security across a broad catalog of services including 4G/5G core functions, network slicing, IMS core services, IoT support, automation tools, and security features. Operators can scale capacity as needed without managing physical hardware while accessing network capabilities via APIs.
Kal De, SVP of Product & Engineering at Nokia said: “Telecom SaaS represents a paradigm shift in the telecommunications industry. Partnering with leaders like AWS helps us deliver cloud-native infrastructure that makes advanced connectivity simple and intuitive for providers, allowing them to subscribe to services only when needed and growing their spend with demand. This groundbreaking announcement by Citymesh proves that 5G Core SaaS has moved from concept to production-ready reality.”
Fabio Cerone, Managing Director of EMEA Telco Business Unit at AWS added: “Nokia’s Core SaaS for Business exemplifies how telecommunications service providers can leverage AWS to transform their operations, delivering simplified deployment and lifecycle management. Running on AWS, Nokia enables telecommunications operators to launch and scale telecommunications services with the elasticity, reliability, security,and trust the industry demands while dramatically reducing operational complexity. This collaboration shows how AWS’ Cloud is enabling telecommunications providers to innovate faster and respond more quickly to market opportunities.”
Nokia states its Core SaaS for Business is available globally for telecom providers. Further information about this technology will be available at MWC Barcelona in March.
For additional details about Nokia’s core network technology visit the official web page: Nokia’s Core SaaS for Business.
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