O2 and Nokia Deliver UK's First Live AI-Powered RAN Deployment

O2 and Nokia have completed the UK's first live deployment of an AI-powered radio access network feature, recording a 20% improvement in spectral efficiency at one of London's busiest transport hubs.

The trial ran at O2's Giga Site in London Paddington, where the operator tested the technology while customers kept using the network as normal. That detail matters. Unlike lab benchmarks, these results come from a production network carrying real traffic through one of the country's busiest railway stations.

The deployment forms part of O2's £700 million Mobile Transformation Plan, a programme aimed at improving network reliability, capacity and overall performance across the operator's UK footprint.

What does the AI actually do?

Nokia's technology uses artificial intelligence to monitor network traffic and automatically adjust how available capacity is shared between users. The system responds to shifts in demand, particularly during busy periods, reallocating spectrum and infrastructure resources without manual intervention.

According to Nokia, the live results showed a 20% gain in spectral efficiency. The technology also improved data speeds during peak periods without affecting network reliability.

That framing deserves scrutiny. A 20% spectral efficiency figure is a vendor-reported measurement from a single high-density site, not a network-wide average. Still, the trial's significance lies less in the number itself than in where it was achieved: on a live commercial network, in real conditions, with no disruption to paying customers.

What did the executives say?

O2 CTO Jeanie York framed the trial as a response to relentless traffic growth. "Mobile data demand continues to grow, so we need smarter ways to make the most of the spectrum and infrastructure we already have," she said.

"This live trial with Nokia showed how AI can improve network efficiency and help us respond more effectively to changing customer demand," York added. "By making better use of existing network resources, we can deliver a better experience for customers while supporting future traffic growth."

Emma Falck, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, cast the milestone as evidence that AI is crossing from experiment to production. "This milestone demonstrates how AI is moving from experimentation to delivering measurable benefits in live mobile networks," she said.

"By embedding intelligence directly into the RAN, operators can make better use of existing spectrum resources, improve network performance and create a stronger foundation for future AI-driven services," Falck continued. "Our collaboration with O2 shows the significant potential of AI-native networks to enhance customer experiences while improving operational efficiency."

Why a single-site trial carries weight

The AI-RAN field is crowded with vendor promises, and operators have grown wary of demos that never leave the laboratory. A completed live deployment, verified on a working network at a major transport hub, gives O2 and Nokia a concrete reference point that most rivals in the UK market have yet to match.

The economics also explain the timing. Squeezing 20% more efficiency out of existing spectrum is cheaper and faster than buying new frequencies or building new sites. For an operator mid-way through a £700 million transformation budget, AI-driven capacity gains stretch that investment further.

Both companies indicate the Paddington work is a foundation rather than a finish line. O2's stated goal is to support future traffic growth, and Nokia positions embedded RAN intelligence as the basis for AI-native networks and future AI-driven services, suggesting the technology will move beyond a single Giga Site as the Mobile Transformation Plan progresses.