As telecom networks accelerate their shift toward cloud-native and AI-driven architectures, Nokia has made a key infrastructure choice to support that transition. The company has selected Pure Storage to power the high-performance, all-flash data layer for its next-generation telco cloud built on Red Hat OpenShift.
The decision comes as service providers grapple with a central challenge of modern telecom transformation: building a data foundation that can reliably support cloud-native network functions (CNFs) today, while also scaling for AI-driven automation and autonomous networks in the future. For Nokia, the combination of OpenShift as the cloud platform and Pure Storage as the data layer is intended to deliver a repeatable, carrier-grade reference architecture from the edge to the core.
Strengthening Nokia’s telco cloud blueprint
Nokia has been standardising on Red Hat OpenShift since mid-2023 as its primary reference platform for core network applications. By adding Pure Storage to the stack, the company is aiming to simplify how data is managed across distributed environments, while maintaining predictable performance and operational consistency.
According to Nokia, Pure Storage’s all-flash architecture will underpin its containerised network functions and applications for autonomous network operations. The focus is not just on raw performance, but on lifecycle management—allowing telecom operators to deploy and scale CNFs across multiple sites with consistent outcomes, a critical requirement for networks that may span hundreds or even thousands of nodes.
A three-way collaboration for carrier-grade operations
The collaboration brings together three vendors with deep roots in the telecom ecosystem, each contributing a core building block. Nokia provides the CNFs and reference architecture, Red Hat OpenShift supplies the carrier-grade Kubernetes foundation, and Pure Storage delivers the unified data layer.
Pure Storage executives described the engagement as their first direct collaboration with Nokia, positioning it as a milestone that extends all-flash storage deeper into telecom cloud deployments. From Nokia’s perspective, the choice was driven by performance, scalability, and sustainability, with the company highlighting reductions in energy consumption and embodied carbon compared to traditional storage systems—an increasingly important consideration for large-scale network infrastructure.
Red Hat, meanwhile, framed the announcement as an extension of its long-standing partnership with Nokia, noting that Pure Storage strengthens the OpenShift ecosystem with a data platform already trusted by global service providers.
Moving away from fragmented storage strategies
One of the underlying goals of the new reference architecture is to address the fragmented storage environments many telecom operators have inherited over years of network evolution. Traditionally, different network functions and deployment zones have relied on separate data platforms, increasing operational complexity and cost.
By standardising on a unified all-flash data layer, Nokia and its partners are advocating a more consistent operating model—one that behaves the same whether it is deployed at the network edge, in regional data centres, or in centralised cloud environments. Features such as non-disruptive upgrades and predictable performance are positioned as key enablers for always-on telecom services.
Commercial readiness and rollout plans
The Nokia telco cloud iteration that incorporates Pure Storage reached “Ready for Sale” status in December, with customer engagements already underway. Nokia’s global pre-sales teams have begun including Pure Storage in new opportunities, and general availability is targeted for April 2026.
Service providers will have flexibility in how they adopt the stack. They can opt for a fully Nokia-led reference architecture that includes Pure Storage as part of the OpenShift-based infrastructure, or procure Pure Storage independently while still following Nokia’s reference guidance.
As telecom operators look to modernise networks for cloud-native and AI-enabled services, Nokia’s move signals how the data layer is becoming as strategic as compute and software. The company’s latest architecture positions storage not as a back-end commodity, but as a foundational element for the next phase of carrier-grade, autonomous networks.