Nokia beefed up its Worldwide IoT Network Grid (WING) programme, adding 5G capabilities it said will allow operators to offer new applications with stringent latency, security and speed requirements.

As part of the move, the company announced plans to open a 5G WING lab in Dallas, Texas, where operators from around the globe will be able to begin testing new use cases.

Ankur Bhan, head of Nokia’s WING business, said in a statement the upgrade will “help operators monetise IoT opportunities faster and cost-effectively in the 5G era”.

Launched in 2017, WING provides operators with global IoT connectivity and managed services. Nokia expanded the programme in February 2019 with a suite of “off-the-shelf” IoT packages meant to make it easier for operators to launch applications for connected agriculture, logistics and asset management.

The company said the latest update is focused on enabling more advanced use cases, including connected cars, real-time industrial monitoring, critical public services and remote healthcare.

It noted the 5G update will allow user plane functions to be separated and extended to the edge of the network to ensure low latency. Nokia added multi-access edge compute technology can be applied across this infrastructure to better enable services including AR and VR maintenance and cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) use cases.

In a statement, Brian Partridge, VP and head of the applied infrastructure and DevOps group at 451 Research, said 5G has the potential to “transform industries like transportation, healthcare, and manufacturing over the next several years”.

He added managed services capable of accelerating “time-to-value” and “de-risking 5G investment” are expected to generate “strong demand”.