Nokia has today announced the deployment of Australia’s first Interleaved Passive Active Antenna (IPAA), in collaboration with operator, Optus. The IPAA, which will help ease site related challenges and in turn accelerate the introduction of 5G services across the country, has been deployed in Yeerongpilly, Brisbane.
The IPAA solution, developed by Nokia in collaboration with CommScope, has allowed Optus – as it will other operators – to upgrade existing sites to 5G by simply replacing their existing antennas with a similar sized unit that supports all legacy technologies as well as 5G massive MIMO active antenna.
Faster 5G deployment
“Speed up the deployment of our 5G network by addressing space and structural capacity constraints.”
Lambo Kanagaratnam, Optus.
“We’re committed to keeping our customers connected and at the forefront of 5G. By partnering with global technology leaders like Nokia, we continue to bring the best global innovations to our customers. The introduction of the IPAA into our network infrastructure will help us speed up the deployment of our 5G network by addressing space and structural capacity constraints,” said Lambo Kanagaratnam, Managing Director of Networks at Optus.
Nokia’s modular IPAA supports both legacy frequency bands and new 5G bands, simplifying and easing deployment challenges of finding space on towers and rooftops, accelerating rollout of 5G networks. This is important as operators looking to upgrade sites to 5G towers will often find finding space on existing towers and rooftops for new massive MIMO active antenna equipment poses a significant deployment challenge. Additionally, lengthy delays in acquiring permission for site upgrades; the potential strengthening of the supporting structures and potential higher rental payments to landlords, can in combination seriously delay operators, making this new 5G technology particularly helpful.
Unique IPAA solution
“Operators can now simply replace an existing antenna with Nokia’s IPAA solution.”
Rob Joyce, Nokia.
“We’re delighted to be partnering with Optus to bring our unique IPAA solution into play in the Australian market. The IPAA is an advanced technical solution to tackle the problems of finding space on towers and rooftops for 5G upgrades. Operators can now simply replace an existing antenna with Nokia’s IPAA solution to upgrade the site and at the same time, introduce 5G; it couldn’t be simpler,” said Rob Joyce, Chief Technology Officer of Australia and New Zealand at Nokia.
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