Nokia is continuing to expand its channel activities for private 4G/5G networks and related edge computing, hardware, and software applications. The Finnish company has announced a new partnership with New York-based Westcon-Comstor (Westcon) to distribute its drone-in-a-box solution to resellers in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore.

Westcon, which already has a long-standing partnership with Nokia, will distribute Nokia's 4G/5G drone solution, branded as Nokia Drone Networks, through Nokia-certified resellers, integrators, and other service providers. The CE and FCC certified solution integrates with Nokia's private 4G/5G systems, targeting industrial and public sector markets, and also operates with public 4G/5G networks.

This drone solution supports beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations. It is already being sold in the US, where it received FCC approval at the end of last year. Distribution in the US includes partnerships with companies like Kyndryl, DXC Technology, Future Technologies Venture, Graybar, and Trilogy NextGen, as well as the enterprise solutions units of AT&T and Verizon.

In a statement, Nokia referenced a forecast from Statista, predicting that the global market for "connected automated" drones will grow from $26.3 billion in 2021 to $54.6 billion by 2030. Nokia commented, "Drones can serve numerous use cases, from site security and machine inspection to predictive maintenance and environmental sensing, delivering a positive ROI compared to conventional methods."