Nokia said the deal will help spark ‘consolidate its RAN… simplify network operations’ and ‘improve cost efficiencies’
Spark New Zealand has chosen Nokia as its “majority supplier” for the expansion of its existing 4G and 5G program in cities across New Zealand. The carrier will use equipment from the vendor’s 5G AirScale portfolio, including baseband, remote radio heads and massive MIMO radios at more than 700 sites, which the pair said will help Spark “consolidate its RAN… simplify network operations” and “improve cost efficiencies.”
Spark first launched 5G services in July 2020 in Palmerston North, and a year later it partnered with Samsung to deliver the new services to Christchurch, the country’s most populous city. In addition to these locations, the carrier now has 5G mobile service in downtown Auckland, Takapuna, Te Awamutu, New Plymouth, Dunedin, Hamilton, Clyde and Alexandra, according to its website.
“We are thrilled to have been selected by Spark as the majority supplier for this transformative 5G project and to support its vision of streamlining operations and consolidating its network,” commented Tommi Uitto, president of mobile networks at Nokia. “With our state-of-the-art technology solutions, we are confident that Spark will achieve its objectives of enhancing network efficiency, improving service quality, and delivering a seamless experience to its customers.”
Other recent RAN developments for Nokia include a multi-year contract with Altice Portugal’s telecoms brand MEO to modernize the carrier’s existing RAN infrastructure and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) it signed in March with Saudi carrier Zain KSA to study the deployment of cloud RAN infrastructure.