Yemisi Izuora
Nokia has inked an agreement with LG Uplus to boost 5G connectivity in South Korea.
LG Uplus is one of the largest carrier services in the East Asian country and the company will be deploying Nokia’s small cell-based AirScale Indoor Radio (ASiR) systems to meet its 5G coverage demands.
As 5G grows, mobile data traffic is also expected to rise by leaps and bounds which require tremendous densification to provide for the capacity required. Nokia’s ASiR, the company says, is a solution to help communication service providers (CSPs), like LG Uplus, to transition to 5G New Radio (NR) from 4G in an easy and cost-effective way. DaeHee Kim, SVP and the Head of Network Infra Technology Group at LG Uplus says:
“Nokia’s AirScale system will help provide seamless 5G connectivity in indoor locations and environments. Its cost-effective, flexibility as well as compact design enables us to enhance our 5G offering.”
In terms of equipment, Nokia’s Digital Baseband unit (BBU) and ASiR-pRRH (pico Remote Radio Head) will be utilized. The ASiR system combines multiple ASiR pRRH units to produce a single frequency network (SFN) that helps to extend the broadcasting area without the need for additional frequencies. The system will feature multi-band and multi-operator support.
The networks under ASiR can also be remotely configured thanks to its web-based manager; and the compact nature of ASiR means that it can be scaled as well as upgraded easily. To know more about the technology, visit the official Nokia ASiR webpage here.
LG Uplus has been working on expanding the 5G network in South Korea for some time. In December last year, the carrier, in partnership with Qualcomm and LG announced; that it’s introducing the country’s first 5G mmWave network at the Kumoh National Institute of Technology (KIT).