Nokia Unveils FastMile to Deliver Broadband to Rural Areas #MWC16

Nokia has launched FastMile, which lets operators use LTE radio technology to deliver high-speed broadband connectivity to the home in hard-to-reach areas, maximizing spectrum use in the process.

Still today, there are millions of people without high-speed access to information and communication networks. In remote areas, mobile broadband networks may not reach all homes as the signal from the nearest LTE radio base station is often insufficient to provide sufficient throughput capacity indoors. The same locations are also typically lacking DSL or cable broadband coverage.

Nokia FastMile is designed to overcome the connectivity gap and bring much-needed high-speed broadband to residential customers in rural areas.

The end-to-end approach ensures high data rates and a guaranteed minimum throughput, while also providing higher capacity by utilizing advanced antenna topology and interference mitigation technologies. For mobile operators, this is an opportunity to address a new customer base with help of their existing LTE network and spectrum assets, while wireline operators can further expand the reach of their services.

FastMile consists of an easy-to-install home indoor router and outdoor antenna, a portfolio of smartphone applications for consumers, plus a specific Radio Access Network (RAN) macro configuration (with small cell support) and cloud-based controller running on Nokia AirFrame for the network itself.

Solution details at a glance:

•Residential outdoor modem with self-tuning high gain antenna provides up to 3.5X typical radius increase compared to standard mobile broadband network.
•Residential indoor router with Wi-Fi / GigE provides end user broadband connectivity.
•Specific fixed mobile RAN antenna topology combined with advanced interference mitigation by Nokia's smart scheduler delivers 2.5x throughput of comparable mobile network.
•Smartphone applications that help ease deployment and management.
•Cloud-based controller running on Nokia AirFrame to monitor the network and ensure minimum guaranteed throughput for all users.

Ken Rehbehn, Senior Research Analyst of 451 Research, said: "We are in an Internet era, yet availability of ubiquitous and affordable broadband service remains an elusive goal in many rural locations around the world. By leveraging an existing mobile network grid to offer fixed broadband access, mobile operators benefit from service growth while addressing the vital community need for improved connectivity that boosts economic prospects and expands educational opportunities."

Thorsten Robrecht, head of Advanced Mobile Network Solutions at Nokia, said: "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. It's also a cost-effective way of taking into use underutilized spectrum in rural areas."