Nokia expands its FWA portfolio for North American market

Nokia is adding a new 5G Fixed Wireless Access outdoor receiver and indoor gateway with Wi-Fi 7 to its growing portfolio of FWA broadband access products. Designed to meet the unique demands of the North American region, the new solutions support a broad range of 4G and 5G bands, including Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS). The solution provides a real opportunity to close connectivity gaps that still exist in many parts of North America.

Nokia's expanded portfolio helps advance 5G FWA services in North America, ensuring operators can easily connect consumers across rural, suburban, and urban environments. The new Nokia FastMile 5G receiver features high-gain antennas (up to 10 dBi) in a compact design that can be self-installed by the consumer on the outside of a window, wall, balcony, or pole. With 4 carrier aggregation and up to 300MHz of bandwidth, the 5G receiver maximizes throughput in locations where signals may be weak.

Nokia’s new FastMile indoor 5G Gateway 12 drastically improves capacity and coverage by up to 35 percent using high gain antennas (up to 8 dBi) and 8 receiver antennas. The gateway comes with up to 200MHz of spectrum support to enable high-speed broadband access over the 5G network. It also utilizes tri-band Wi-Fi 7 to extend 5G speeds throughout the home. The FastMile 5G Gateway 12 is powered by Nokia’s Corteca software, which supports value-added applications embedded in the device, cloud-based Wi-Fi optimization, and Wi-Fi device management based on open industry standards and EasyMesh.

To help operators simplify and streamline installation, customers can access a simple, user-friendly mobile app that helps identify the optimal location to install the Nokia FWA receiver and gateway.

Dirk Verhaegen, VP of Broadband Devices at Nokia, said: “Using Fixed Wireless Access to connect end customers to fast internet access requires more than just one type of device. Nokia’s FastMile solutions provide operators with options, bringing fast, reliable broadband to people no matter where they live—whether it's in bustling cities, quiet suburbs, or even remote rural areas.”

Jaimie Lenderman, Research Manager and Principal Analyst at Omdia, said: “The number of Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) subscribers in North America is projected to increase from 11.6 million in 2023 to 25 million by 2028. This growth is driven by the considerable advantages FWA offers in terms of cost-efficiency and rapid deployment, especially where wireline solutions are less feasible. However, challenges such as signal interference, limited range, and reliance on line-of-sight conditions still impact the widespread adoption of FWA by operators. Innovations like Nokia’s FastMile gateway solution are mitigating these issues, enabling operators to deliver high-speed FWA broadband services to users regardless of their location.”

The new Nokia 5G FWA receiver and gateway will be available in Q3 2024. Both join Nokia’s comprehensive portfolio of customer premise equipment which includes 4G and 5G receivers and gateways for outdoor and indoor use.