Nokia and Vodafone New Zealand bring 5G voice core services to more subscribers

• New Voice Core network is aligned with 5G standards and will allow Vodafone New Zealand subscribers and international tourists to enjoy high-quality voice services   
• The initiative builds on the existing 30-year partnership between Nokia and Vodafone New Zealand

Auckland, New Zealand – Nokia today announced that Vodafone New Zealand will extend Nokia’s Voice Core services to an additional one million subscribers across the country. The deployment will allow more New Zealanders to enjoy voice services at home and overseas as well as enable tourists to enjoy high-quality voice services during their stay in the country. 

Vodafone New Zealand is already using Nokia’s high-performance Voice Core services for one million subscribers. The superior quality of the existing network using Nokia solution helped Vodafone New Zealand record exceptional results in the recent Umlaut tests. 

Nokia will also supply its NetAct application for network management and seamless daily network operations as well as its Voice Core network solution to help Vodafone New Zealand extend superior voice services to more subscribers and tourists. 

The initiative is the next phase of the existing program, where Vodafone New Zealand and Nokia transformed the end customer voice experience by providing Voice Core services on a fully virtualized core network. 

This extended program will further improve the resiliency and redundancy of Vodafone New Zealand's Voice Core network and ensure that the network is always using the latest software. It will also introduce VoLTE roaming which has become crucial as several operators are shutting down legacy 2G and 3G networks to improve cost economics and to use the spectrum for 5G. 

Sharina Nisha, Head of Networks at Vodafone New Zealand, said: “At Vodafone we’re helping customers unlock the magic of technology, better connecting them through our award winning Smart Network. We’re delighted to build on Nokia’s solution to provide Voice Core services to our subscribers by extending high-definition voice services to an additional million users. This crucial project is another great step forward in our 30-year partnership with Nokia, delivering a more awesome Aotearoa through innovation for both local customers and our very welcome visitors to New Zealand.”

Rob Joyce, Chief Technology Officer at Nokia Australia and New Zealand, said: "We are excited to expand our long-standing partnership with Vodafone New Zealand and to support this initiative to extend Voice Core services to an additional million subscribers. Our innovative Voice Core allows service providers to provide superior voice services to their customers. It also allows them to continue offering roaming services even when the 2G and 3G networks are being phased out."