Citymesh, a Belgium‑based telecom operator, announced the launch of the world’s first commercial mobile service built on a 5G Core Software‑as‑a‑Service platform powered by Nokia and Amazon Web Services. The service allows Citymesh to provide 4G and 5G core, network slicing, IMS core, IoT, automation and security without owning hardware.
The Core SaaS for Business platform runs on AWS’s global cloud infrastructure and uses Nokia’s open‑source network operating system and API‑driven architecture. By scaling capacity on demand, Citymesh can reduce upfront capital spend and simplify lifecycle management for venues such as airports, hospitals and first‑responder networks.
Nokia’s first commercial SaaS deployment validates the company’s strategy to shift its network infrastructure business to a cloud‑native, subscription‑based model. “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,” said Kal De, SVP, Core Software Product & Engineering.
Nokia’s Q4 2025 results, released on January 29 2026, showed net sales of €6.1 billion and a comparable operating profit of €2.0 billion, a 17.3 % operating margin that fell 0.9 percentage points from the prior year. The company missed analyst expectations for both revenue and earnings, reporting an EPS of $0.16 versus a forecast of $0.17 and revenue of $6.13 billion against a $7.1 billion forecast. Management attributed the margin compression to growth investments in Network Infrastructure, including the integration of Infinera, and to the capital‑intensive nature of the sector. Despite the miss, Nokia guided for a comparable operating profit of €2.0 billion to €2.5 billion in 2026, signaling confidence in continued profitability as the company scales its SaaS offering.
The Citymesh launch demonstrates Nokia’s ability to deliver end‑to‑end 5G core services in a fully managed, elastic environment, positioning the company as a key partner for operators and enterprises that want to accelerate 5G adoption without large capital outlays. Investors responded positively to the announcement, reflecting confidence in Nokia’s SaaS strategy and the broader shift toward cloud‑native network functions.
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