Intel, Dell Technologies and Nokia Redefine UPF Deployment at the Far Edge

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.

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.

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.