Nokia and Nextlink Internet bring 5G-ready wireless internet to rural Americans

 

• People living in rural and underserved regions in the Central United States will be able to gain access to high-speed broadband and voice services for telehealth, remote learning and work, entertainment, socializing and more.  
• Nextlink Internet, a major investor in the recent FCC auction of CBRS airwave licenses, will use its new spectrum to connect entire communities with broadband, including homes, businesses, retail stores, government agencies, and school districts.    
• Nextlink’s network using Nokia’s AirScale 4G LTE RAN is 5G-ready.  

14 October 2020

Dallas, Texas and Hudson Oaks, Texas – Nokia and Nextlink Internet today 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-bandwith internet to subscribers in the Central U.S. who previously have had limited or no access to broadband services.

As an active participant in the FCC’s Connect America Fund Phase II (CAF II) to bridge the digitial divide, Nextlink Internet along with Nokia is deploying a CBRS 4G LTE network to deliver the broadband service required for today’s connected lifestyle. Nextlink will be able 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.