Nokia and Q13 have been selected by Rede Nacional de Ensino e Pesquisa (RNP) to modernise rede Ipê, the national research and education network in Brazil. The build will connect more than four million users and support AI-enabled research, scientific discovery and digital innovation across the country.
Implementation splits between Nokia and Q13
Q13 will lead implementation and migration across the network. Nokia will provide core, aggregation, peering and universal provider edge capabilities through its 7750 Service Router and 7250 Interconnect Router platforms.
The new architecture is meant to absorb demand for data centre connectivity, large-scale scientific collaboration, private wireless networks and AI-enabled applications. Nokia said the design will also give RNP a path from the current 4.8 Tbps aggregate capacity across more than 350 routers to 800G.
RNP is standardising more of the stack
Ari Frazão said the modernisation will help expand access to knowledge and provide a stronger digital foundation for Brazil’s future. He also said that, for the first time, RNP will have core, aggregation, peering and edge equipment from a single technology provider, which should allow greater investment in network automation.
That is the operational point in this deal: RNP is not just upgrading capacity, it is consolidating layers of the IP network under one supplier while changing the migration workstream at the same time.
What this means for research-network buyers
The disclosed terms give other national research and education networks a reference point for scale: more than four million users, 4.8 Tbps of aggregate capacity and a design that can evolve to 800G. The supplier split is also clear, with Q13 on implementation and migration and Nokia on the core platforms.
For buyers evaluating similar refreshes, the benchmark is the combination of scope and architecture, not a generic modernization label.
RNP’s external footprint
RNP connects to more than 125 academic networks across over 100 countries in the Americas, Europe and Africa. Nokia said the new architecture will help meet growing demand for data centre connectivity, large-scale scientific collaboration, private wireless networks and AI-enabled applications.