Nokia has been tapped by NBN to supply 5G mmWave technology for its $750 million fixed wireless access network upgrade.
This marks the first large scale, long reach 5G mmWave FWA deployment in the world.
Nokia’s customer premise equipment supports high frequency ‘mmWave’ bands, which are capable of Gigabit speeds for premises within a 7km radius of a radio base station.
The 5G mmWave upgrade utilises the 28 GHz band along with cmWave spectrum. It will allow NBN to launch two new wholesale high-speed tiers – 100 Mbps and 250 Mbps.
This upgrade will extend the current fixed wireless footprint by up to 50 per cent, connecting 120,000 former satellite-only premises to fixed wireless.
“We are facing a step-change in demand for broadband in rural and regional areas, with an estimated 300% increase in demand for data on our fixed wireless network over the next ten years,” Jason Ashton, Executive General Manager, Fixed Wireless and Satellite at nbn said.
“Nokia’s 5G mmWave solution allows nbn to better utilise both our sub6GHz and 5G mmWave spectrum allocations to vastly extend the range, speed and capacity of our existing fixed wireless network and improve the end user’s experience.
“This innovative antenna design will be a critical enabler for our Fixed Wireless upgrade program, and the long-standing relationship we have with Nokia is helping us to deliver on our commitment to continually enhance customer experience and evolve the Fixed Wireless network for future needs”
Dirk Verhaegen, VP Nokia Broadband Devices feels Australia is the perfect country in which to widely roll out mmWave.
“Australia is a big country, much of which is sparsely populated,” said Verhaegen.
“NBN’s deployment is a prime example of the utility of mmWave in FWA deployments which are an ideal solution in these environments. mmWave connections let us massively increase speeds, essential for residents to get proper access to education, healthcare and entertainment services.”
