Nokia announced that Swiss operator Swisscom will deploy Nokia FastMile 5G receivers, primarily in rural areas in Switzerland to offer ultra-fast broadband services.
The Finnish vendor also said that it will be Swisscom’s exclusive supplier for 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA).
The Nokia FastMile 5G receiver combines indoor and outdoor FWA solutions enabling Swisscom to deploy one device across the network. A smartphone application guides the user through the installation process and helps to select the location with the best radio reception, Nokia said.
The 5G receiver offers better performance through “extensive carrier aggregation” between 4G and 5G bands, Nokia said. It also connects to existing home networks and gateways using a standard ethernet cable.
Marcel Burgherr, head of gateways, phones and other devices at Swisscom, said, “We have chosen Nokia as our 5G fixed wireless access device partner. This solution will help us to bring ultra-fast internet speeds to our residential and business customers in rural areas.
“5G fixed wireless access is a perfect complement to fiber-to-the-home networks. It can efficiently deliver ultra-fast speeds to areas that are unserved or under served by fiber. With the combined experience of Nokia and Swisscom, we were able to develop an innovative and effective solution. We are delighted to partner with Swisscom on its broadband vision with 5G FWA,” said Sandra Motley, president of fixed networks at Nokia.
Swisscom’s 5G network already reaches over 90% of the country’s population. The carrier’s network was commercially launched in April 2019 using equipment from Swedish vendor Ericsson. Initially, the new technology was launched 54 cities and communities in Switzerland, including Zürich, Bern, Geneva, Basel, Lausanne and Lucerne.
Swisscom used Ericsson Spectrum Sharing software that shares spectrum between 4G and 5G carriers based on traffic demand to reach nationwide 5G coverage with 5G-ready 4G radios.
In February 2019, Switzerland’s Federal Communications Commission (ComCom) had raised CHF380 million (currently $417 million) after it awarded 5G frequencies to local mobile operators Salt, Sunrise and Swisscom.
Salt secured 20 megahertz in the 700 MHz band, 80 megahertz in the 3.5 GHz band and 10 megahertz in the 1.4 GHz range.
Sunrise, in the process of being acquired by Liberty Global, purchased 10 megahertz in the 700 MHz band, 100 megahertz in the 3.5 GHz range and 15 megahertz in the 1.4 GHz band. The carrier also secured an additional 10 megahertz in the 700 MHz band.
Meanwhile, Swisscom secured 30 megahertz in the 700 MHz band, 120 megahertz in the 3.5 GHz band and 50 megahertz in the 1.4 GHz band.
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