Nokia is building an AI-ready network in North Carolina
Hotwire Communications has selected Nokia to build a next-generation network in North Carolina that is ready for AI fabric use. The project will prepare the IP, data center and optical infrastructure for growing traffic from residential and business customers.
- Hotwire Communications selected Nokia to upgrade its North Carolina network.
- The new architecture will prepare the IP, data center and optical infrastructure for AI fabric use.
- The Nokia 7750 Service Router combines IP routing and optical capabilities on a single platform.
- Nokia expects lower latency, reduced energy and cooling requirements, and simpler operations.
- The project is expected to go live in early 2027, according to the announcement.
Project promises a simpler network architecture
Nokia announced on November 4, 2026, that Hotwire Communications had selected it to upgrade its North Carolina network. The provider aims to create a new IP network architecture that provides an AI-fabric-ready foundation for its IP, data center and optical infrastructure.
According to Nokia, the optimized architecture will allow data traffic to pass through fewer network elements. This is expected to reduce latency and improve application performance, which the company says could also enhance the user experience. The upgrade will also support new artificial intelligence-based applications and traffic associated with inference.
The company says the simplified architecture will reduce the number of network elements and the complexity of operations. It also aims to lower energy and cooling requirements and improve efficiency.
IP and optical networks combined on a single platform
A key component of the project is the Nokia 7750 Service Router. The equipment combines IP routing and optical networking capabilities on a single platform. Nokia says this reduces the complexity of the network architecture, lowers the number of devices required, and improves scalability and efficiency.
The solution will enable Hotwire Communications to create a simpler network architecture while making its infrastructure better suited to meeting the high-performance connectivity needs of residential and business customers. As part of the project, Nokia will also provide professional services expertise to bring complex IP and data center network deployments into operation.
Alongside the 7750 Service Router, Nokia’s announcement lists the 7250 Interconnect Router and Nokia data center switches as related products.
Operations could begin in early 2027
Pragash Pillai, chief technology officer at Hotwire Communications, said preparing the network for AI fabric use was a strategic planning decision. The company is using Nokia technology to simplify the architecture, reduce complexity and improve latency. Pillai said the investment will create a more energy-efficient network that is ready for the next wave of AI-driven demand from customers.
Greg Dorai, Nokia’s executive vice president and deputy general manager of the IP Networks business, said the project demonstrates how a regional provider can use Nokia technology to simplify its architecture and prepare its network for AI fabric use. He said this could create value for residential and business customers through improved performance, efficiency and operational simplicity.
The project is expected to go live in early 2027. For Hotwire Communications customers, the announcement suggests the upgrade will primarily deliver lower-latency, more efficiently operated infrastructure designed to handle growing conventional and AI-related traffic.
