The News: Nokia launched the first single-band AirScale Osprey massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) products in time for North American operators to start rolling out their C-Band networks. The company has since continued developing new radio solutions for different markets using its ReefShark system on chip (SoC) technology to deliver new capabilities such as dual-band support as well as performance and energy efficiency gains. Read the full blog post on the Nokia website.
Nokia Dual-Band Massive MIMO Is Key to 5G Performance & Energy Gains
Analyst Take: At MWC 2023 in Barcelona, Nokia unveiled the latest additions to the company’s AirScale Osprey portfolio, including the Osprey 64×2, a highly integrated dual-band 64 TRX Massive MIMO (mMIMO) radio that provides 530 MHz instantaneous bandwidth and covers both the entire US C-Band and the 3.45G Band. Nokia received the formal FCC certification right after the product launch.
In advanced 5G networks, mMIMO radios enable better channel conditions and signal strength to mobile users. Accordingly, beamforming algorithms are critical for mMIMO as they help expand the coverage, boost throughput, and increase the spectral efficiency of radio cells. I find that Nokia’s Sounding Reference Signal (SRS)-based beamforming technology has been proven to enhance the performance of mMIMO cells including improving typical user data rates across demanding urban environments with many high-rise buildings as well as boosting average downlink throughput. For example, SRS-based beamforming proved instrumental to raising the average downlink throughput for SK Telecom’s 5G users in urban centers.
From my view, Nokia wields immediate market credibility for disseminating the benefits of dual-band mMIMO radio technology since the Osprey 64×2 is already deployed in AT&T’s commercial network and carries 5G commercial traffic across both the C-Band and 3.45G blocks of spectrum.
Nokia Osprey and Habrok Form AirScale Radio Access Dynamic Duo
Notably, the Osprey 64X2 was introduced in conjunction with the inaugural MWC 2023 Barcelona unveiling of its Habrok massive MIMO radios designed to address all mobile operator and enterprise network scenarios. Akin to Osprey, Habrok is powered by ReefShark SoCs, which are available in both 32 TRX (Habrok 32) and 64 TRX (Habrok 64) versions, aimed at addressing all mMINO deployment scenarios and use cases.
Developed for maximum spectrum flexibility and network performance, initially supporting band n78, both Habrok 32 and Habrok 64 support high radio frequency bandwidth, 200 MHz occupied bandwidth (OBW), and 400 MHz instantaneous bandwidth (IBW), enabling the use of fragmented spectrum allocations and network sharing cases. The lightweight Habrok 64 is approximately 30% lighter than its predecessors, streamlining installation and deployment. The products also offer even higher energy efficiency by using 30% less energy, lowering the total cost of ownership.
In addition, Nokia’s modular Passive Active Antenna (IPAA+) radio solution adroitly interleaves the antenna elements of a high-performance AIrScale mMIMO radio, either 64 TRX or 32 TRX, with the antenna elements of a multiband passive antenna, the platform antenna. The outcome is a space-saving site solution that uses fewer boxes, lowering site-related costs. Of key importance, from my view, is that both the AirScale mMIMO radios and the platform antennas can be separately installed, easing in-field upgrade paths in line with traffic growth.
Key Takeaway: Nokia AirScale Portfolio Delivers the Energy Savings
I discern that Nokia has also made significant advances in energy efficiency with its Osprey and Habrok 5G AirScale portfolio additions and enhancements. As noted, Nokia has reduced the energy consumption of its products by some 30% through a combination of software, hardware, and services, including Nokia’s digital design for energy efficiency and energy efficiency-related suite of software features. As a result, communications service providers can reduce energy consumption by up to 36%.
Overall, I find that both the Osprey and Habrok dual-band mMIMO offerings swiftly strengthen Nokia’s diverse, comprehensive AirScale RAN portfolio by enabling the streamlining of deployments and substantially boosting energy savings, delivering a new level set for the evaluation and selection of dual-band mMIMO technology.
Disclosure: The Futurum Group is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.
Analysis and opinions expressed herein are specific to the analyst individually and data and other information that might have been provided for validation, not those of The Futurum Group as a whole.
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Author Information
Ron is an experienced, customer-focused research expert and analyst, with over 20 years of experience in the digital and IT transformation markets, working with businesses to drive consistent revenue and sales growth.
Ron holds a Master of Arts in Public Policy from University of Nevada — Las Vegas and a Bachelor of Arts in political science/government from William and Mary.
