Nokia has unveiled a swathe of software tools and AI models aimed at improving network efficiency and reliability.

The launch comes days after the Finnish firm is reportedly set to be barred from operating in China.

New fiber tools target cost cuts

Nokia’s new software tools and AI models are designed to cut costs and boost reliability for fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) operators.

The offerings, part of Nokia's Altiplano platform, create a digital twin of FTTH networks, unifying active and passive components in a single view. This can help operators detect disruptions earlier and resolve issues faster, reducing costly truck rolls and service delays.

Nokia contends that FTTH operators lack visibility into passive outside plant infrastructure, leading to inventory errors and cost overruns. The vendor’s new digital twin is said to address this by providing real-time network monitoring and automated validation of inventory, topology, and resource data.

The platform includes two new AI-powered applications – Fiber Health Analyzer, which monitors fiber link health, isolates faults, and performs root cause analysis; and Subscriber Line Identifier, which verifies splitter connectivity and updates inventory in real time.

The vendor’s Altiplano platform already works with diverse inventory and geospatial software, and integrates with Nokia's Broadband Easy platform for automated fiber rollout.

“We can help operators eliminate the blind spots associated with FTTH deployments," said Geert Heyninck, Nokia’s GM for broadband networks. “Our software tools provide a unified view of the network, allowing operators to detect issues faster and resolve them before they escalate.”

Belgian operator Fibertime is already using the tools, with CEO Danvig De Bruyn claiming that Nokia's automation and AI-powered features help improve operational efficiency and network reliability.

“We can now detect disruptions earlier and resolve incidents more quickly to ultimately improve the subscriber experience,” De Bruyn added.

China security reviews threaten market access

The release announcement came after a report from the FT last week which claimed that Nokia, along with rival Ericsson, face tougher efforts getting their gear deployed in China, with President Xi Jinping instead focusing on local tech to power the country’s national infrastructure.

China is reportedly conducting security reviews of both vendors, with Nokia and Ericsson forced to have their equipment analyzed by the Cyberspace Administration of China. Such reviews can take around three months or more, with the vendors not given any details on exactly how their hardware will be assessed.

The decision won’t come as a shock to the vendor, with mobile networks chief, Tommi Uitto, telling a press briefing in September that Nokia expects to eventually be excluded from China over “national security reasons.”

Last month, Nokia CEO Justin Hotard called for what he described as “high-risk vendors” – later naming Huawei and ZTE – to be barred from European networks.

Uitto raised the possibility of a European ban on Chinese vendors, suggesting that such a move could lead to retaliatory actions, and see Nokia losing its 3% share of China's network market.

Conversely, Dell’Oro Group data cited by the FT suggests Huawei and ZTE hold around 30-35% of the European mobile infrastructure market despite being banned in key nations such as the U.K., Sweden, and Germany.