Nokia Networks has expanded small cell portfolio with two innovations- a double capacity small cell base station Flexi Zone G2 Pico, and an indoor planning service enhanced by 3-D geolocation.
The small cell innovations help operators cost-effectively build higher performance HetNets in dense urban areas, delivering high quality mobile broadband for large number of customers, the company said.
Nokia Networks’ Flexi Zone solution helps operators grow the capacity of their HetNets to support more users per cell and higher performance.
The first Flexi Zone G2 Pico base station to be available will be a 3.5 GHz TD-LTE Advanced Carrier Aggregation Pico with 4×4 MIMO for advanced LTE markets. The small cell also integrates Wi-Fi 802.11ac for additional capacity.
The new Pico solution will be based on Nokia Flexi Zone G2 Micro/Pico base station platform that features a 4-pipe radio and twice the processing capability of the Flexi Zone Micro/Pico base station. This provides scope for other future variants in support of very high performance HetNets, the company said.
According to Ken Rehbehn, principal analyst, 451 Research Mobility Team, consumers enthusiastically embrace mobile broadband when operators deliver excellent LTE network performance – success that can threaten operator brand reputation if capacity fails to keep up.
Nokia Networks’ latest innovations will address the challenges faced by operators. These small cell solutions will help them absorb growing capacity demands without compromising customer experience, Rehbehn added.
Nokia Networks’ solutions have already gained acceptance in the market.
Recently Zain KSA awarded Nokia a contract to deploy its Flexi Zone 4G small cells solution to boost performance in strategic locations.
Also, Vodafone Group has selected Nokia Networks as a global supplier of its LTE and Wi-Fi outdoor small cells products, to provide additional capacity where it is needed most.
Nokia Networking is offering 3-D geolocation-based HetNet planning for in-building solutions. Nokia Networks is applying newly acquired 3-D geolocation technology to pinpoint precise locations in high-rise buildings that have high demand or are suffering poor service, such as dropped calls or slow connectivity, the company said.
The 3-D geolocation-based HetNet service is designed to address the limitations of conventional two-dimensional planning that cannot distinguish between the different floors of buildings with different needs, such as a corporate offices and residential spaces.
“Nokia Networks has demonstrated its commitment to small cell development by being the first supplier with macro parity small cells, and we’re now the first to introduce small cells with LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation capabilities,” said Randy Cox, head of Small Cell Product Management at Nokia Networks.
Emphasizing the importance of delivering high-quality broadband indoors, Cox continued, “The addition of unique 3-D geolocation technology ensures the best planning and optimization techniques for outstanding performance throughout these buildings – from the top floor boardroom to the ground floor cafeteria.”
editor@telecomlead.com
