Charter will use Nokia’s 5G RAN solutions to provide wireless 5G connectivity and increased network capacity to customers in its trial markets in the United States
Finnish vendor Nokia announced that U.S. cable operator Charter Communications is implementing Nokia’s AirScale equipment portfolio for the deployment of 5G using CBRS spectrum.
Under the terms of the deal, Charter will use Nokia’s 5G RAN solutions to provide wireless 5G connectivity and increased network capacity to customers in its trial markets in the United States. Nokia said that this 5G deal is the first win for the company in the Multiple System Operator (MSO) space.
Nokia highlighted that cable operators can implement small cell products to provide 5G wireless connectivity by leveraging their existing DOCSIS infrastructure without having to build additional cell sites.
Charter, which provides mobile services through the Spectrum Mobile brand, ended the first quarter of the year with 6 million customers. Nokia noted that the operator needed a 5G wireless connectivity solution to offload traffic from its leased mobile network.
The vendor said that Charter will deploy Nokia’s 5G RAN products, including strand mounted radios for CBRS, baseband units and a newly developed 5G CBRS strand mount small cells all-in-one portfolio on the company’s existing assets.
Justin Colwell, EVP of connectivity technology at Charter Communications, said: “Charter is committed to providing our customers a fully converged connectivity experience that combines high value plans with the fastest wired and wireless speeds throughout our footprint.” The executive added that the implementation of Nokia’s 5G solutions into Charter’s converged network will help the cable operator “ensure that Spectrum customers in areas with a high concentration of mobile traffic continue to receive superior mobile connectivity, including the nation’s fastest wireless speeds.”
“We are excited to expand its current trial to additional select metropolitan markets in the US, enabling an enhanced user experience for Spectrum Mobile subscribers. This win strengthens Nokia’s leadership position in the MSO space for 5G wireless deployments,” said Shaun McCarthy, president of North America sales at Nokia.
In July of 2022, Charter Communications said it was extending its testing of 5G using a combination of millimeter-wave spectrum and midband airwaves with CBRS as the anchor.
The cable company had originally requested and received a six-month period for testing of coverage and capacity of 5G mmWave using the lower 37 GHz band (37.0 – 37.6 GHz) in conjunction with the CBRS band in EN-DC mode. The company currently has permission from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to continue its testing through August 2024.
Cable companies who participated in the CBRS auction in 2021 (including Charter, Cable One, Cox, Comcast, Mediacom and Midcontinent) bid a collective $1.185 billion for 2,902 licenses in 1,013 counties.
