Saudi Telecom Company (STC) has conducted a test of MulteFire technology, showing up to 50 percent better range, up to 2x better coverage in comparison to Wi-Fi and up to 120 Mbps of total download and upload throughput.
Nokia says MulteFire technology combines the LTE and Wi-Fi in unlicensed spectrum bands such as 5GHz.
MulteFire delivers services across multiple devices, allowing users of MulteFire device to access data using a MulteFire access point. Tests showed MulteFire harmoniously co-existing with Wi-Fi when Wi-Fi was turned on in the same frequency and placed very close to a MulteFire access point.
Nasser Al-Nasser, senior vice president, Technology and Operations, STC, said: “We are the first operator in the world to have conducted the test of MulteFire technology with Nokia. MulteFire will allow us to deliver LTE performance with a simplified deployment.”
Mobile operators aim to utilize unlicensed spectrum bands such as 5GHz to reach more of their subscribers in private enterprise networks such as stadiums, office blocks, shopping malls and airports.
The test – which used Nokia’s FlexiZone small cells together with MulteFire software – showed how MulteFire can co-exist with Wi-Fi to deliver the high performance, high speeds and security offered by LTE in a densely populated environment.
MulteFire complements heterogeneous networks (HetNets), which use a mixture of macro and small cell radios, allowing operators to meet the increased connectivity demands of future smart cities and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Waseem Al-Marzogi, head of STC Group Business, Nokia, said: “By collaborating with operators like STC, we can develop new ways of utilizing spectrum such as 5GHz to meet the network demands of today and tomorrow.”
