Nokia has announced a groundbreaking achievement in the field of mmWave 5G technology, setting a new speed and distance record. The company successfully achieved average downlink speeds exceeding 2 Gbps over a distance of 10.86 kilometres, utilising millimetre wave (mmWave) spectrum and 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA). This remarkable feat took place at the OuluZone test facility in Oulu, Finland, and represents the fastest recorded download speed to date.
To accomplish this milestone, Nokia employed its 5G extended range mmWave solution, along with its AirScale baseband and AirScale 24GHz (n258 band) mmWave radio. The test also involved the deployment of the Nokia FastMile 5G PoC Customer Premises Equipment. By utilising eight component carriers (8CC) in the downlink and aggregating 800MHz of mmWave spectrum, Nokia achieved an impressive top downlink speed of 2.1 Gbps and an uplink speed of 57.2 Mbps.
Nokia’s mmWave radio portfolio offers a range of compact, high- and medium-power solutions, providing flexibility for deployment across various environments, ensuring continuous service availability. The company’s FastMile 5G PoC device, used in these tests, is currently undergoing trials with major operators worldwide. It features a high-gain 360° antenna (27dBi) that dynamically adapts to changing conditions, effectively overcoming mmWave deployment challenges.
Ari Kynäslahti, Head of Strategy and Technology at Nokia Mobile Networks, expressed enthusiasm for this achievement, stating, “We just set a new speed record for extended range 5G mmWave. This demonstrates that mmWave solutions will be an essential building block for operators to efficiently deliver widespread, multi-gigabit 5G broadband coverage to their customers in urban, suburban, and rural areas, complementing sub-6 GHz spectrum assets.
This is a substantial achievement that reflects how we are constantly innovating and evolving our 5G services and solutions.”
Nokia’s accomplishment pushes the boundaries of 5G technology, bringing us closer to a future of faster, more reliable, and ubiquitous connectivity.
