Intel, Dell Technologies and Nokia Redefine UPF Deployment at the Far Edge
At MWC 2026, Intel, Nokia and Dell unveiled a new edge-based UPF device powered by Intel Xeon 6 (Granite Rapids-D), offering high performance in a low footprint for highly distributed 5G network edge locations. The solution delivers 30% performance improvement and 43% CPU power savings, targeting availability at the beginning of Q3 2026.
Source date
Apr 13, 2026
Read time
4 min
What was announced at MWC 2026
At Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona, Intel, Nokia and Dell previewed a new edge-based UPF (User Plane Function) device that offers a high performance, low-footprint solution for highly distributed network edge locations.
Powering Nokia Edge Appliances is an Intel Xeon 6 (Granite Rapids-D) that introduces new AI capabilities for enterprise far-edge locations and service provider far-edge nodes. It will be available at the beginning of Q3 2026.
Why this matters for telecom operators and enterprises
Traditional centralized cloud clusters work well for dense metropolitan hubs, but to serve entire regions including suburbs, industrial zones and remote sites, telecom operators need a more flexible, distributed architecture. Smaller, strategically placed edge units bring compute closer to users, boosting agility, responsiveness and coverage.
Our view is that procurement teams evaluating 5G infrastructure should assess how edge UPF solutions can reduce backhaul costs and improve latency for real-time applications, especially in enterprise campus networks and industrial IoT deployments.
Key performance benefits
The collaboration provides multiple benefits: flexible capacity scalable to handle large data volumes, cost-effectiveness through independent optimization for Control Plane and User Plane functions, high performance with 30% UPF improvement, significant energy savings through optimized hardware and software, reduced latency, and enhanced network resilience through far edge distribution.
- 30% performance boost of 5G core UPF
- 43% run-time CPU power savings with Nokia 5G UPF
- Flexible capacity with high-speed connectivity
- Reduced latency through minimized data travel distance
- Local service enablement for specific business needs
- Target availability: beginning of Q3 2026
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