Nokia on Thursday announced plans to launch a small cell product to facilitate high-speed LTE networks on unlicensed spectrum.
The Nokia Flexi Zone MulteFire Multiband Pico BTS, a 4-liter-size small cell for indoor or outdoor locations, is expected to be commercially available beginning in the second quarter of the year.
The Finnish telecom said the site will enable businesses or cities to host private LTE networks with strong, reliable performance and coverage, along with low latency. The Pico BTS can support multiple carriers on the MulteFire radio access technology standard with throughput of up to 300 Mbps.
Officials suggested that businesses could use the site to easily connect the devices and sensors that comprise the Internet of Things, while public buildings could lease their private LTE networks to wireless carriers.
Carriers themselves, meanwhile, would be able to expand to markets around the world — regardless of whether they hold spectrum licenses in those areas.
“Using Flexi Zone MulteFire small cells to deliver a private 4G layer, we offer an additional wireless option to Ethernet that can easily and cost-effectively connect massive numbers of people and things including mobile assets,” Randy Cox, Nokia’s head of small cell product management, said in a statement.
The company plans to demonstrate the technology at next month’s Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona.
Filed Under: Infrastructure
