Page 35 - SAMENA Trends - November-December 2021

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Nokia Launches Gigabit Connect to Simplify Gigabit
Broadband Installation in Apartment Blocks

Nokia has launched Gigabit Connect to do not have expertise with technologies G.fast distribution point units (DPUs)
make it easier for fiber network providers to over copper twisted pair. Gigabit Connect and Altiplano Network Management
deploy gigabit broadband services in MDUs can be deployed with no impact on existing System for their fiber customer R-Kom to
where the final connection leg is via twisted network management and FTTH (Fiber connect 4,000 buildings in Eastern Bavaria,
pair or coaxial cables. Fiber providers often to the Home) services. Gigabit Connect Germany. Thomas Klein, Head of Sales &
encounter difficulties in bringing fiber all solution also delivers the same speed and Technology Competence Center from Pan
the way to every apartment in residential low-latency experience for the end user as Dacom Networking, said: “We are using
buildings. The age of the building can full FTTH. Sandy Motley, President, Fixed G.fast for the last drop and use zero-touch
mean there is a lack of space or in-built Networks at Nokia, said: “We estimate that provisioning with SDAN (Software Defined
ducting, or legal issues might constrain 20% of MDUs are challenging for new fiber Access Networks). Nokia’s solution
the deployment. G.fast technologies can installations. Using G.fast over a building’s extends what can be done with SDAN and
help by enabling operators to terminate existing cables goes a long way to solving has helped reduce deployment times by
the fiber in a central location in the building the problem, but it can be a challenge 50% with configuration from the cloud.”
and then bridging to any existing television, for operators to build expertise in new Alfred Rauscher, Managing Director from
data or telephone cables for the last leg. technologies. With Gigabit Connect, we R-KOM added: “Thanks to Nokia’s scalable
Nokia’s Gigabit Connect solution builds on are hiding the complexity, enabling plug- and future-proof solution, thousands of
G.fast capabilities, hiding its complexity and-play fiber deployment and on-going Bavarians living in previous fiber no-go
and enabling the last leg connection to be management as with any normal fiber line. homes can now look forward to gigabit
managed as a fiber endpoint under a single Furthermore, consumers will experience the broadband.” According to Dell’Oro, G.fast
pane of glass management interface. This same speed and low-latency performance connections are set to more than double
is especially important for operators who as standard fiber.” Pan Dacom Networking by 2025.
focus on fiber-only deployment and who AG is deploying Nokia’s Lightspan SX

Nokia to Supply DOCOMO with O-RAN Fronthaul Multi-Vendor Solution

Nokia has announced that it is ready to DOCOMO and NEC Corp announced the a press release, NEC noted that the multi-
supply its O-RAN fronthaul multi-vendor successful conclusion of interoperability vendor test used a software upgrade to
solution to NTT DOCOMO’s 5G network testing for 5G Standalone (SA) technology introduce SA capability to NEC’s 5G Non-
in Japan following successful testing. In using a 5G base station conforming to Standalone (NSA) operating on the cellco’s
a press release yesterday (7 December) O-RAN open interface specifications and commercial network.
the vendor said the move will enable the radio units (RUs) of different vendors. In
operator ‘to further select independent
combinations of hardware and software to
optimize its network in the future’. In the trial
held at the cellco’s laboratory in Yokosuka,
Nokia’s 5G O-RAN AirScale baseband was
‘successfully integrated and tested with
third-party O-RUs (radio units)’ as part of
wider plans to build open interfaces on top
of its existing solutions, offering interested
parties the choice to pursue O-RAN. Nokia
notes that the O-RAN Alliance was formed
in 2018 to define common interfaces
between systems to reduce complexity
and accelerate the deployment of multi-
vendor RANs. As previously reported
by CommsUpdate, earlier this month

35 NOV-DEC 2021