The trial used a Massive MIMO antenna based on Nokia’s AirScale Habrok radio, and showed how Nokia technology can offer a seamless evolution path when 5G-advanced and 6G networks become available.
Mark Atkinson, head of RAN at Nokia said: “This field pilot demonstrates that Nokia is ready to help mobile operators integrate the bandwidth of these new spectrum allocations seamlessly into their existing network allowing them to provide coverage from the existing macro cell sites on the higher frequency bands.
“Nokia’s AirScale portfolio is already at the forefront of the industry and further enhancements to our Massive MIMO solutions will support these future demands and our customers’ network evolution journey.”
With traffic growth increasing, operators are looking for efficient ways to keep pace and deliver capacity and coverage where it is needed.
New 5G-advanced and 6G use cases will only add to this demand, Nokia said in a release. Given the rate at which data traffic is increasing, most operators will need to increase their TDD mid-band spectrum holdings in the second half of the decade, according to the operator.
The allocation of the upper 6Ghz spectrum for mobile services, which means a possible 200MHz of mid-band TDD spectrum per operator, was agreed upon at the World Radio Conference 2023. This is especially important in markets where the 7.2-8.4GHz range will not be available.
“The critical role which mobile networks play for society, enterprises and governments comes with increased demand for data traffic,” added Luciana Camargos, head of spectrum at the GSMA.
“Mobile operators need additional spectrum to serve growing connectivity needs, so commercialisation of the upper 6 GHz band will be an important tool in enabling the digital ambitions of each country.”
