Equinix today announced it deployed a 5G and Edge Technology Development Center paired with a non-standalone 5G network equipped by Nokia to test 5G services.

The colocation and interconnection provider described the Dallas facility as a “product-ready interconnection sandbox environment from the radio network to the cloud.” Nokia’s participation appears to be an expansion of Equinix’s 5G and edge computing proof-of-concept center it opened in Dallas in June 2020. 

The testing and validation hub will initially focus on mobile hybrid multi-cloud connectivity, network slicing, distributed artificial intelligence and machine learning, infrastructure orchestration, mixed reality, and gaming, according to Equinix. 

“As we look to a future where 5G is ubiquitous, the way that IP traffic moves between networks around the world will change completely, and interconnected data centers will play a crucial role in this new 5G-dominated future,” Sean Hemphill, VP at Nokia’s webscale business, said in a statement.

“Nokia IP solutions underpin Equinix Fabric, providing seamless interconnection between its global data centers,” Hemphill added.

Equinix Fabric, an automated interconnection service, connects customers to more than 10,000 clouds, networks, and third-party platforms. Customers can connect a pair of Equinix Fabric locations within a metro or globally via software-defined interconnection.

The continued testing and validation phase for 5G edge computing among various vendors and operators underscores the relatively nascent nature of the technology. Equinix CEO Charles Meyers earlier this year shared muted enthusiasm for edge computing. 

“I think it’s going to play out over a longer period of time than people currently anticipate,” he said at the Citi 2021 Global TMT West Conference. 

The expanded effort with Nokia also follows Equinix’s edge strategy, which Meyers described at the time as a largely partner-driven approach wherein other companies provide “far edge real estate” that will require and benefit from interconnection and access back into Equinix’s services.