Nokia

Espoo, Finland – Nokia, in collaboration with Vodafone and RingCentral, will unveil Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS) at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025. This groundbreaking technology, part of 5G Advanced, promises to revolutionize voice communication by delivering natural, three-dimensional sound experiences, even for remote calls.

Transforming Voice Communication
IVAS enhances traditional voice services with spatial audio, making conversations lifelike and immersive. Applications range from business meetings and industrial operations to education, sports, and everyday mobile calls. The technology leverages the Metadata-Assisted Spatial Audio (MASA) format, designed for devices like smartphones, and integrates a built-in renderer for head-tracked binaural audio and multi-loudspeaker playback.

Key Benefits of IVAS

• Multi-stream teleconferencing: Enables seamless audio for complex meetings, with spatially distinct voices and inclusive soundscapes that make remote participants feel “in the room.”
• Immersive 1-to-1 calling: Offers 360° audio for richer, more engaging interactions, with head-tracking for accurate directional sound.
• Enhanced industrial access: Improves communication in noisy environments like factories and construction sites, while aiding remote servicing and critical operations.

Industry Collaboration
Developed by 13 companies and included in the 3GPP Release 18 standard, IVAS builds on the widely used Enhanced Voice Services (EVS). Nokia, Vodafone, and RingCentral are committed to expanding the IVAS ecosystem, delivering impactful audio experiences across communication platforms.

Experience IVAS at MWC 2025
Visitors can explore IVAS concepts at the Vodafone (Hall 3 Stand 3E11), Nokia (Hall 3 Stand 3B20), and RingCentral (Executive Meeting Room 12Ex, Hall 7E) booths from March 3-6, 2025.

Quotes

• Jyri Huopaniemi, Nokia Technologies: “IVAS brings new use cases to life, delivering immersive audio experiences across platforms.”
• Nadia Benabdallah, Vodafone: “Immersive voice technology enhances business meetings, industrial operations, and everyday calls.”
• Homayoun Razavi, RingCentral: “IVAS restores the power of voice, promoting inclusivity and unlocking AI-enhanced collaboration.”

Source: Business Insider

By Supantha Mukherjee

Summary

• Q4 net sales up 10% to 5.98 bln euros vs 5.74 bln estimate
• CEO expects improving market trends to persist into 2025
• CEO expects Infinera deal to close in Q1 vs H1 earlier
• CEO expects to benefit from Stargate project
• Nokia shares rise 3%

STOCKHOLM, Jan 30 (Reuters) – Finland’s Nokia (NOKIA.HE),  reported stronger than expected fourth-quarter adjusted operating profit and sales on Thursday, helped by higher demand for telecoms gear from mobile operators in North America and India, and was upbeat about 2025 prospects.

Shares of the telecoms gear maker were up 3% at 0840 GMT, outperforming a 0.4% rise in Europe’s STOXX 600 index.

Nokia’s quarterly net sales rose 10% to 5.98 billion euros ($6.2 billion), beating analysts’ estimate of 5.74 billion euros in an LSEG poll.

The company said sales at its network infrastructure business climbed 17% due to a strong recovery in demand from communication service providers, notably in North America.

“What we have seen previously is that when the markets turn, the North American market turns first, both up and down,” CEO Pekka Lundmark told Reuters, adding that he expects improving market trends to persist into 2025.

The company expects full-year profit of between 1.9 billion euros and 2.4 billion euros, compared with an estimate of 2.13 billion euros on LSEG Workspace.

Nokia and its Nordic rival Ericsson (ERICb.ST),  have seen double-digit growth in North America due to a rebound in demand after years of weakness. Demand from Indian clients, which dropped significantly after rapid growth in 2023, is also recovering.

To tap the artificial intelligence boom, Nokia agreed to buy Infinera (INFN.O), opens new tab in a $2.3 billion deal last year to gain from the billions of dollars in investment pouring into data centres such as the $500 billion Stargate project backed by OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle.

Police said several agencies were involved in a search and rescue operation in the river.

“We have interest in all data centres and assuming that the Stargate project will deliver, it will be an exciting market opportunity for us,” Lundmark said.

He now expects the Infinera deal to close by the end of the first quarter, instead of by the end of the first half of the year.

Comparable earnings before interest and tax rose to 1.14 billion euros, beating the 960 million euros expected by analysts in the LSEG poll.

Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Stockholm. Editing by Terje Solsvik, Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Mark Potter