Nokia and Nextlink Internet recently announced they are building and upgrading networks with Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum and Nokia’s AirScale 4G LTE RAN.
Nextlink’s CBRS networks will deliver high-bandwidth internet to subscribers in the Central U.S. who previously have had limited or no access to broadband services. Nextlink Internet along with Nokia is deploying a CBRS 4G LTE network to offer its customers internet speeds up to 100 Mbps downlink and 20 Mbps uplink in rural and underserved regions in 11 states: Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming.
Traditionally, wireless internet service providers (WISPs) have used unlicensed spectrum bands to deliver affordable internet access to these underserved regions, but service has been limited due to interference challenges and throughput limits. By acquiring over 1,000 CBRS Priority Access Licenses (PALs) in the recent FCC auction, Nextlink will be able to complement its existing spectrum resources and increase both throughput and range. Nextlink will deploy LTE with Nokia AirScale 4G LTE RAN to deliver higher bandwidth and support more latency-sensitive applications, more simultaneous users, and better non-line-of-sight performance to maintain seamless connectivity in rural regions.
Nextlink and Nokia are currently deploying up to 25 new towers a month to support subscriber growth and will retrofit existing towers with Nokia CBRS-based equipment to connect reach more households, schools, and businesses.
