Nokia has deployed its cloud-native 5G Voice Core for US mobile carrier Boost Mobile.

The Finnish vendor announced the rollout at this week's Mobile World Congress (MWC), noting that Boost is the first carrier to launch Nokia's 5G Voice Core technology.

According to Nokia, the deployment will provide Boost with "faster delivery of advanced services, enhanced network automation, and more efficient cloud utilization than its open RAN cloud-native network could before."

Boost is the fourth biggest US carrier with around seven million mobile customers, and the biggest operator outside of the traditional "big three" players - Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. The carrier is a wholly-owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation.

Nokia claims that its 5G Voice Core provides automated deployment and configuration, reduced infrastructure and carbon footprint, and lower operational costs.

The vendor said its Cloud Native Communication Suite (CNCS) improves energy efficiency by about 10 percent to 20 percent.

For Boost, the cloud-native deployment represents an upgrade on its previously distributed IMS voice core, which was also provided by Nokia.

“We anticipate Nokia’s 5G Voice Core to help reduce our network infrastructure costs by about 70 percent in addition to delivering new 5G services faster, with significantly streamlined network operations,” said Dawood Shahdad, vice president of core engineering at Boost Mobile.

“Boost Mobile continues to push boundaries with our Open RAN 5G network and the successful nationwide deployment of Nokia’s cloud-native next-generation voice core marks a pivotal moment in our network evolution, as this new network element advances our vision of end-to-end orchestration and dynamic scaling on our path toward 6G.”

Boost claims to reach 99 percent of the US population with its 5G coverage along with its roaming partners.

Last year, Boost was granted an extension by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to extend its 5G network coverage expansion to cover 80 percent of the country's population with its 5G service by the end of last year. A year earlier, the company achieved its target to reach 70 percent of the US population.

Nokia added that as of the end of last year it has 123 5G Standalone (5G SA) Core operator customers.