Finnish vendor Nokia signed an agreement to collaborate with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) to develop IoT-based business applications using high-speed, ultra-low latency technologies.

Nokia will partner with UTS: Rapido, a new technology development unit, to create a collaborative innovation and training facility at the university, with Nokia providing IP routing, optical, fixed and 4G and 5G mobile network components, as well as applications and analytics platforms for project work and training. Nokia will also participate on the UTS Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology advisory board.

The vendor said in a statement it will work on advanced engineering projects enabling the development of future network services to address the specific technological challenges of service providers and enterprises.

In one of the first projects, researchers at the university are integrating video downloads filmed around the world using Nokia Ozo virtual reality cameras into the UTS 3D Data Arena. This will demonstrate how operators can combine 3D footage with real-time data and graphics to explore new services and business opportunities.

Myriam Amielh, associate dean of external engagement at UTS, said the association with Nokia will: “allow us to contribute our expertise in areas such as 5G, IoT and data analytics, through UTS: Rapido, to help Nokia’s customers unlock the potential of emerging digital capabilities”.

Ray Owen, head of Oceania at Nokia, said the collaboration with UTS enables the organisations to: “share both our expertise and our technologies, and help drive Australia’s digital transformation. In turn, we will benefit from gaining even greater insight into how IoT can be applied to solve the real-world issues of our customers”.

UTS: Rapido counts more than 200 researchers at the university’s Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology. Research is conducted across a broad range of technology areas including data analytics, cyber security, 5G and IoT. Nokia and UTS have worked together for more than 15 years and UTS is a key member of Nokia’s Australian graduate programme.