Nokia Networks expands small cell portfolio

Finnish infrastructure vendor Nokia Networks has announced the expansion of its small cell portfolio with the Flexi Zone G2 Pico, as well as a 3-D geolocation enhanced indoor planning service.

Nokia, citing research by Signals Research Group, claims that small cells will be responsible for handling 78% of all traffic by 2020. As such, the Flexi Zone G2 Pico is intended to enable higher efficiency Heterogeneous Networks (HetNets) with higher traffic quality & management capabilities in urban areas with a dense population.

Saudi market leading operator, Zain KSA, has already given Nokia the green light to deploy the new Flexi Zone product. Nokia Networks will also be rolling out its enhanced small cells to boost LTE and Wi-Fi coverage for Vodafone Group.

The additional products in the small cell portfolio range will utilise new 3-D geolocation technologies, which will enable more accurate pinpointing of coverage requirements in high density office blocks and high-rise buildings.

Randy Cox, Head of Small Cell Product Management at Nokia Networks, believes that mounting pressure on operators to ensure complete coverage in urban areas is the primary driver for Nokia’s latest product developments.

“Operators have an ever-increasing need to provide users with the best mobile broadband experience in key indoor locations. The addition of unique 3-D geolocation technology ensures the best planning and optimisation techniques for outstanding performance throughout these buildings – from the top floor boardroom to the ground floor cafeteria”, he said.

The advancement in small cell product capabilities comes during a time of LTE network expansion, increased mobile broadband consumption and device proliferation. Nokia claims that the Flexi Zone G2 Pico BTS can give operators added flexibility and scalability depending on local requirements, alongside enhanced capacity and reduced total cost of ownership.

The announcement is the latest in what has been a busy week for Nokia Networks, as the company launched a number of new products, including its claim to have launched the world’s “first” commercial Network Functions Virtualization solution.