Nokia on Monday announced that it is working with U.S. Cellular to boost capacity in several markets, including the Northwest Region of the U.S., where networks are experiencing increased traffic demand due to COVID-19.
Additionally, U.S. Cellular and Nokia are helping protect customers from an onslaught of malware related to the pandemic aimed at stealing personal data.
The massive movement of people out of their offices, schools and public spaces and into their homes has created an unprecedented surge in mobility and broadband network traffic. To help ensure networks can meet this growing demand, the FCC has granted a 60-day temporary spectrum license to U.S. Cellular and other service providers across the country.
Together, Nokia and U.S. Cellular have deployed this additional spectrum to boost connectivity for U.S. Cellular customers in markets impacted by COVID-19. The temporary spectrum, which is licensed to Advantage Spectrum in the AWS-3 Band, was integrated remotely on Nokia Airscale Radio Access Network (RAN), bringing increased network capacity to 250 sites in parts of California, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin.
In addition to keeping customers connected, U.S. Cellular is relying on Nokia's Endpoint Security solutions to detect new and established forms of malware related to COVID-19. Trojans and ransomware masquerading as popular virus outbreak location maps, as well as new apps pretending to locate medical masks, increasingly threaten to proliferate on end-user devices.
Scott Cohen, Head of U.S. major Account Sales, Nokia
We are committed to helping U.S. Cellular keep their customers connected to the network from anywhere and at any time, as well as ensuring they can do so safely and securely with our Endpoint Security solutions.
Mike Irizarry, EVP and CTO, U.S. Cellular
Their latest assistance in helping us launch this additional spectrum enables us to continue delivering our customers a fast, rich and uninterrupted network experience throughout this critical time.
