The Trial
O2 and Nokia have completed the UK’s first live deployment of AI-powered radio access network technology at O2’s Giga Site in London Paddington. The system ran on the live network and served real customers throughout the test.
How the Technology Works
Traditional sites use largely static settings to manage radio resources. Nokia’s predictive AI instead learns from conditions and automatically adjusts spectrum and capacity allocation as demand changes. During the trial the feature improved spectral efficiency by approximately 20%, allowing the site to carry more data on the same spectrum and existing infrastructure.
What This Means for Users
The gains showed up most during peak periods, delivering higher throughput while keeping accessibility and reliability stable. Customers in high-traffic spots could see faster downloads and smoother streaming as a result. The work sits inside O2’s £700m Mobile Transformation Plan, which targets better reliability and capacity without needing extra spectrum.
Industry Context
Jeanie York, Chief Technology Officer at O2, said: “Mobile data demand continues to grow, so we need smarter ways to make the most of the spectrum and infrastructure we already have. This live trial with Nokia showed how AI can improve network efficiency and help us respond more effectively to changing customer demand. By making better use of existing network resources, we can deliver a better experience for customers while supporting future traffic growth.”
Emma Falck, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, said: “This milestone demonstrates how AI is moving from experimentation to delivering measurable benefits in live mobile networks. By embedding intelligence directly into the RAN, operators can make better use of existing spectrum resources, improve network performance and create a stronger foundation for future AI-driven services. Our collaboration with O2 shows the significant potential of AI-native networks to enhance customer experiences while improving operational efficiency.”
We track ongoing mobile network upgrades in our mobile phones section.
