美国贝尔实验室成立于1925年，由AT&T总裁华特·基佛德收了西方电子公司的研究部门后成立。1996年成为朗讯科技公司的研究开发部门，2016年由诺基亚收入囊中。工作大致分为三个类别：基础研究，系统工程和应用开发。在基础研究方面主要从事电信技术的基础理论研究，包括数学，物理学，材料科学，行为科学和计算机编程理论。系统工程主要研究构成电信网络的高度复杂系统。开发部门是贝尔实验室最大的部门，负责设计构成贝尔系统电信网络的设备和软件。
贝尔实验室是工业界少有的几个研发机构。研发分三个阶段：一个是贝尔实验室自己发明或是创新，还有一个是演进及更新自己的产品。另一个是到欧洲等其它地区通过并购吸收新技术、新产品。美国贝尔实验室是晶体管、激光器、太阳能电池、发光二极管、数字交换机、通信卫星、电子数字计算机、C语言、UNIX操作系统、蜂窝移动通信设备、长途电视传送、仿真语言、有声电影、立体声录音，以及通信网等许多重大发明的诞生地。
基础研究巩固了诺基亚贝尔实验室的使命，为现代生活的数字世界奠定了基础，为这个世界提供动力的软件以及连接它的通信网络。如今，贝尔实验室的研究遵循着许多不同的轨迹，尽管目标始终保持不变：设计出对诺基亚所服务的服务提供商、企业和行业产生最持久影响的技术。
Bell Labs was founded in 1925 by AT&T President Walt Kieferd after taking over the research department of Western Electronics Corporation. In 1996, it became the research and development department of Lucent Technologies, and in 2016, it was acquired by Nokia. The work is broadly divided into three categories: basic research, systems engineering, and application development. In terms of basic research, he is mainly engaged in the basic theoretical research of telecommunications technology, including mathematics, physics, materials science, behavioral science and computer programming theory. Systems engineering mainly studies the highly complex systems that make up telecommunications networks. The Development Division is the largest division at Bell Labs and is responsible for designing the equipment and software that make up Bell Systems' telecommunications network.
Bell Labs is one of the few R&D institutions in industry. Research and development is divided into three stages: one is Bell Labs' own invention or innovation, and the other is to evolve and update its own products. The other is to go to Europe and other regions to absorb new technologies and new products through mergers and acquisitions. Bell Labs in the United States is the birthplace of many major inventions such as transistors, lasers, solar cells, light-emitting diodes, digital switches, communication satellites, electronic digital computers, C languages, UNIX operating systems, cellular mobile communication equipment, long-distance television transmission, simulation languages, audio movies, stereo recordings, and communication networks.
Basic research underpins nokia bell labs' mission, laying the foundation for the digital world of modern life, the software that powers it, and the communications networks that connect it. Today, Bell Labs' research follows many different trajectories, though the goal remains the same: to design the technology that will have the most lasting impact on the service providers, businesses, and industries nokia serves.