TIM Brasil modernising Brazilian 5G network with Nokia

Details: James Barton; Category: Wireless Networks; 02 March 2026; 5205 views

TIM Brasil has extended its partnership with Nokia to deliver a nationwide 5G upgrade following an initial investment in the state of São Paulo.

The agreement will see TIM Brasil modernise its 5G network in a further 14 Brazilian states, improving coverage for approximately 42% of the country’s population. This will enhance work performance and efficiency to boost user experience, and will also allow TIM Brasil to reduce the environmental impact of its network.

The expanded partnership will allow TIM Brasil to deliver AI-based connectivity solutions to the enterprise sector as well as enabling the future deployment of AI-driven Radio Access Network (RAN) capabilities.

Under the agreement, Nokia will support TIM Brasil’s 5G network by deploying the latest generation of its energy-efficient and AI-RAN-ready AirScale portfolio. These solutions will ensure comprehensive coverage, seamless indoor connectivity, and enhanced scalability while driving sustainability goals through reduced energy consumption.

The modernisation will impact key regions, including Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Goiânia, Manaus, Belém, and São Luís, among others, ensuring faster, more reliable, and efficient 5G connectivity. Nokia’s solutions will also prepare TIM Brasil’s network for future advancements, including 5G Advanced, 6G, and advanced AI-driven services.

Nokia and TIM Brasil will also strengthen their collaboration by jointly exploring the development of transformative AI use cases, including intelligent slicing, image/video analysis and recognition, voice recognition, and threat detection, thereby enhancing their B2B offerings for verticals such as Mining, Agribusiness, manufacturing, logistics, and transport. This initiative will leverage Nokia's AI-RAN solution, which significantly extends its capabilities beyond GPU-accelerated RAN functions to encompass these advanced AI use cases, directly benefiting from the Nokia-NVIDIA AI-RAN partnership announced last year.

Alberto Griselli, CEO at TIM Brasil, commented: “We are raising the bar for 5G in Brazil with a more efficient, automated network ready for new services. This translates into a better experience for millions of customers across different regions of the country and greater value for companies, with solutions that increase productivity and reinforce our commitment to leading digital transformation in the B2B segment.”

Justin Hotard, President and CEO at Nokia, said: “As AI becomes a dominant workload, networks must evolve to be truly AI-native — designed to adapt in real time to dynamic traffic patterns and deterministic performance demands. Our expanded partnership with TIM Brasil strengthens the architectural foundation of its 5G network, embedding greater automation and intelligence to support AI-driven services at national scale.”