Nokia Networks, Wednesday unveiled a new Flexi Zone outdoor modular base station -Flexi Zone G2 Multi-Band Carrier Aggregation Outdoor Micro/Pico Base Station (BTS) - that the company says is the world's first small cell solution to achieve over 1 Gbps peak data rate.
The Finnish telecom vendor also introduced a new small cells deployment service suite - HetNet Engine Room. Nokia claims that the tool allows operators to deploy small cells 30% faster, with 20% lower costs and serve 10% more subscribers. The tool which comes with detailed 3-D street level maps helps to calculate the ‘Site Value Index’ that quantifies the likely return on investment (ROI) for operators from different locations.
Nokia Networks’ new platform boasts three RF module slots. Using these slots, Nokia said that operators can deploy and aggregate between various radio access technologies and spectrum combinations including up to three LTE licensed carrier bands; or configurations offering a combination of LTE licensed carrier bands, unlicensed LTE bands (LTE-U or LAA) and Wi-Fi.
Randy Cox, head of Small Cell Product Management at Nokia Networks
Deploying a small cell on one side of a road can cost ten times more than at a location just a few meters away on the other side of the road. We are bringing a new approach that enables operators to pick the best sites and then deploy small cells and their backhaul quickly and at a much lower cost. Now operators can justify the business case for small cells and improve the return on their network investments.
