At the WMC in Spain, Nokia announced the rollout of an ‘end-to-end’ 5G platform for carriers who want to enhance their platforms. 5G First will be available in H2 2017.
The announcement came over the weekend, just as the Finnish giant rose from the ashes with new offerings in everything from mobile networks and health trackers to virtual reality.
Under HMD Global’s leadership, Nokia is launching three smartphones this next quarter: the Nokia 6, 5, and 3. The iconic 3310 is also making a comeback with new specifications and design, and a flagship may be in the future of the company sometime soon.
Nokia will help carriers get ready for tomorrow
5G First+ is primarily aimed at mobile operators and service providers looking to get a head start on their competitors by trying out these promising platforms in advance.
Developed economies are already seeing 4G networks reach the top of their capacities, and consumers are demanding faster download speeds at lower latency levels.
Enter Nokia’s lesser-known telecommunications business. After selling out its core device brand to Microsoft and later licensing it to HMD Global, the company was making bank mostly from its telecom arm.
In partnership with Verizon, the Finnish giant will try out its new end-to-end solutions as well as the components that make it possible. These tests will also serve as proof for other corporate clients who may want to jump onboard too.
5G First relies on a radio access network (RAN) that communicates with operators and users through Nokia’s massive MIMO Adaptive Antennas. These antennas tune into the 3.5 GHz, 4.5 GHz, 28 GHz, and 39 GHz frequency bands.
“WORKING WITH OPERATORS SUCH AS VERIZON WE CAN HELP THEM TAILOR DEPLOYMENTS TO MEET THEIR OWN CUSTOMERS’ UNIQUE DEMANDS AND CAPITALIZE FIRST ON THE OPPORTUNITIES THIS WILL BRING,” said Samih Elhage, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia.
Intel and Nokia will collaborate in 5G network adoption
On top of their deal with Verizon, Nokia is leveraging the recently released 5G Modem from Intel as a fundamental component in the architecture of its new mobile solutions.
The two tech giants are working on trials in Dallas and ten other locations in the U.S. to see how the 5G First network stands data-heavy tasks such as video streaming and gaming that currently rely mostly on Wi-Fi.
Later in 2017, Nokia and Intel expect to deploy commercial solutions together for 5G consumers, seeing that the technology is inevitably going to become the next industry standard.
The Finnish company also sees value in the new platform to support a future model of in-home healthcare solutions that require mobile connectivity. Other carriers interested in 5G implementation include Sprint and T-Mobile.
Source: Nokia