Nokia develops MulteFire router to broaden unlicensed spectrum usage

The new Nokia MulteFire-standard UE and Nokia MulteFire access point have been made available for use within the Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) platform to enable “simple, fast set-up of private wireless connectivity” to support the MFA.

MFA, which launched in 2016 and contains the likes of Ericsson, Sony and Huawei alongside Nokia, was set up to allow companies to deploy 5G private networks using unlicensed spectrum. Radio spectrum is split into exclusively operator licensed bandwidth and broader unlicensed spectrum which the MFA aims to “use to open up high performance private wireless to new markets globally accelerating mass adoption”.

According to Nokia, the private wireless solution is available for both permanent and temporary deployments including across sporting events, media broadcasting, construction sites, field hospitals and public emergencies. Commenting on the new project, industry analyst Will Townsend said that Nokia’s “plug-and-play approach makes it a compelling consideration for enterprises concerned about the complexities of managing cellular networking infrastructure.”