Nokia, Telefónica to expand edge networking in Spain

Author: Joe Peck

Finnish telecommunications company Nokia has been selected by Telefónica, a Spanish multinational telecommunications company, to deploy networking technology across 17 new edge data centre nodes in Spain.

The rollout forms part of Telefónica’s expansion of distributed edge infrastructure, supporting AI, B2B, and telco cloud services for residential, enterprise, and public sector users.

Nokia will provide connectivity for compute and storage within each edge facility, as well as links between the sites and external networks. The infrastructure is designed to support AI training and inferencing closer to end users, alongside digital services in healthcare, education, industry, and government.

Under the multi-year agreement, Nokia has exclusive responsibility for networking across the 17 nodes. 12 have already been deployed, including at Telefónica’s Tecno-Alcalá site.

Multi-year agreement covers 17 edge nodes

The latest phase follows a pilot deployment of three edge data centres in 2024. Nokia now acts as sole networking technology partner for the programme, with the companies stating that a single-vendor approach is intended to simplify operations and standardise architecture.

Sergio Sánchez, CTIO at Telefónica España, comments, “This initiative fully aligns with our strategy to make edge cloud and artificial intelligence main cornerstones of Telefónica’s growth.

“Nokia has proven to be a trusted connectivity partner in this mission, and they are playing a critical role in building secure, reliable data centre networks for our ambitious edge node project.

“Through this effort, we are not only enhancing our digital infrastructure but also reinforcing Spain’s technological sovereignty and enabling a more dynamic, user-centric digital ecosystem.”

David Heard, President, Network Infrastructure at Nokia, adds, “We are proud to collaborate with Telefónica for this landmark project that supports our customer’s shift to a nationwide distributed edge architecture.

“This win underscores our long-term strategic relationship and Nokia’s leadership in building AI-ready, high-performance data centre networking solutions. Together, we’re creating the foundation for Spain’s digital future, bringing intelligence and services closer to where people and businesses need them most.”

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