#MWC 19: Nokia updates its AirScale portfolio to ensure optimal 5G coverage

In advance of Mobile World Congress, Nokia has unveiled two new additions to its AirScale small cells portfolio that extend the high performance of 5G both indoors and outdoors and support a wide range of use cases.

A compact millimeter wave (mmWave) radio offers cost-effective 5G outdoor coverage of extremely high traffic areas such as airports, stadiums and busy pedestrian zones. In addition, a new 5G pico Remote Radio Head for the Nokia AirScale Indoor Radio System enables an upgrade of indoor coverage to 5G without replacing installed hardware, even in complex buildings such as hospitals and shopping malls.

Ubiquitous 5G connectivity requires deploying high-band mmWave for ultra-high capacity but limited coverage and deploying lower bands for wider coverage with lower capacity. As operators densify their networks to meet the extreme capacity requirements of a variety of use cases, it is critical to deploy the appropriate small cell technology to ensure reliable 5G performance.

Kyung Mun, Principal Analyst, Mobile Experts said: "Nokia's expanding small cell portfolio, including 5G pico Remote Radio Heads and millimeter wave small cells, expands the operator's toolkit as they deploy 5G into challenging places. Expanding with 5G is critical, as demand is growing faster than capacity in the LTE network. Nokia's end-to-end capability puts them in position to tie things together-C-band, LAA, mm-wave, indoor, outdoor, for operators and private enterprises."

Mark Atkinson, Head of 5G and Small Cells of Nokia said: "Small cells are perfectly suited for using 5G mmWave and mid-bands to deliver very high capacity to support the busiest traffic areas and ensure subscribers always enjoy the highest quality services. We are building on our small cells leadership to enable operators to deploy almost any scenario of 4G indoor and outdoor capacity and coverage that can be upgraded to 5G New Radio using a choice of spectrum bands."