Nokia on Tuesday launched FastMile, a wireless broadband solution that lets operators use LTE radio technology to provide Internet connectivity in difficult-to-reach areas.
According to Nokia, the system includes residential equipment that will allow mobile operators with an existing LTE network and underutilized rural spectrum to offer home broadband as alternative carriers.
Nokia said the FastMile system relies on a home-based outdoor antenna that connects to an indoor router with Wi-Fi and gigabit Ethernet capabilities paired with a specific Radio Access Network (RAN) macro configuration with small cell support and cloud-based controller running on Nokia AirFrame for the network itself. A portfolio of smartphone applications will also help consumers install and navigate the system.
The system is guaranteed to provide a high bit rate throughput in higher frequency bands such as the 1.8 GHz band to the 3.5 GHz band, and allow for the re-use of an existing base station grid, the company said.
Nokia said FastMile offers data rates that are 2.5-times the throughput and 12 times the coverage area of comparable mobile networks for residential phone, TV and broadband connections using boosted LTE for the last mile to the home.
“Nokia FastMile gives operators an exciting opportunity to tap a new customer base and bring the Internet to millions who today do not have access to global communications networks,” Nokia’s head of Advanced Mobile Network Solutions Thorsten Robrecht said. “It’s also a cost-effective way of taking into use underutilized spectrum in rural areas.”
Nokia said the system is optimized to minimize deployment costs for operators and has been designed with simplicity in mind to appeal to end-users who will have to install the equipment.
Filed Under: Infrastructure
