Nokia extends 5G-ready AirScale radio and services portfolio to meet demands of cloud-based, ultra-connected world

Nokia today announced three new AirScale radios as part of its multi-technology portfolio to cover broader spectrum range and meet CSPs' anticipated 5G and IoT demand

Nokia is extending its innovative AirScale Radio Access family and services portfolio toaccelerate the planning, design and roll-out of cloud-based radio access networks by operators. This will increase the agility with which they respond to growing data-driven subscriber demand and the onset of the Internet of Things, and ensure a smooth evolution toward 5G technology.

The Nokia AirScale RNC - the first true cloud-based 3G radio network controller - will deliver operational and cost efficiencies for the world's most widely deployed radio access technology. Analysts estimate that 40 percent of mobile network subscribers will continue to access3G networks in 2020, so by moving the controller to the cloud, operators will be able to protect investments and benefit sooner from unrivalled scalability across technologies, greater automation and inherent flexibility. Nokia has already conducted successful tests of the AirScale RNC with operators; and will make it commercially available during the first quarter of 2017.
 
Nokia is also extending the portfolio and driving commercialization of its innovative ultra-lean and efficient AirScale radios, announced at Mobile World Congress 2016. New radios supporting additional paired and unpaired frequency bands will meet more operators' multiple technology radio access network demands:

-- Nokia AirScale RRH 4T4R B40 160W for 2300 MHz (Band 40), with the highest
transmit power in its category at 160W, can provide support for up to 100
MHz of unpaired spectrum and will allow operators in parts of the globe,
including China, India, the Middle East and Africa, Europe and North
America, to grow network capacity and data rates massively with 4.5G Pro.
-- Nokia AirScale RRH 2T2R B28 120W for the Asia Pacific Telecommunity band
(APT) 700 MHz (Band 28) supporting operators in parts of the world
including India, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Europe. This thinnest
full-band radio at 73mm offers world-leading macro site compactness,
allowing network coverage to be dramatically extended to close the
digital divide and acting as a foundation for multiband carrier
aggregation of 4.5G Pro.
-- Nokia AirScale RRH 2T2R B11 120W for 1500 MHz (Band 11) is available in
the advanced market of Japan. With the lowest power consumption and
highest transmit power of 120 W, it will enable the lowest total cost of
ownership for Japanese operators as they expand their networks with
coverage and capacity for 4.5G Pro.

The new Nokia Services portfolio for the AirScale Cloud RAN and AirFrame Data Center will assist operators in accelerating the planning, design, roll-out and operations of their cloud-based radio access networks.
 
-- Transformation Consulting guides operators through the different
evolution scenarios to Cloud RAN, identifying how it will impact their
operations and organization, and how they will need to prepare.
-- Network design uses performance driven design to help operators maximize
the value of virtualization.
-- Smart Deployment focuses on delivering the fastest and highest-quality
technology roll-out and integration.
-- Data Center Energy Solutions allow operators to minimize energy losses by
using Nokia high efficiency uninterrupted power supply solutions.
-- Cloud Operations ensures a highly automated industrialized environment to
reduce time to market for subscriber services.

Arnaud Vamparys, VP Radio Networks and Microwaves at Orange Group said: "We were impressed with the performance of this new virtualised RNC product in the key capabilities tested, in particular its ability to scale capacity to fulfil traffic demand, which will satisfy the future needs of our 3G networks. Based on what we've seen, this product will perfectly fit in our global mobile access evolution towards virtualisation ."

Frank Weyerich, head of Mobile Networks Products at Nokia said: "The journey to 5G can be smoothed by choosing the right technology path. With 4.5G Pro and cloud-based radio access networks, operators can leverage scalability and flexibility as they start to provide 5G-like use cases on top of LTE, taking user experience to the next level. Also, with prime examples such as the launch of the first true cloud-based RNC and the expansion of our AirScale radios and services portfolio, we are showing that Nokia is leading in this space, enabling customers to evolve in the most cost-effective and timely way." 

Source: Nokia release