HALIFAX and DALLAS – Eastlink and Nokia announced Wednesday a multi-year deal that will see the Halifax-based telecom use Nokia’s AirScale portfolio, including 5G RAN, for its mobile radio access network.
This will enable Eastlink to boost the speed, performance and capacity of its mobile network serving communities across Canada, a press release says.
“The partnership includes new site expansion and existing site upgrades. The first site using Nokia technology is expected to go live in August,” the release reads.
In May, Eastlink announced it was extending its existing 10-year partnership with Ericsson for the build-out of its 5G mobile network by an additional three years.
“We’re so pleased to welcome Nokia as part of our dual supplier radio network strategy,” said Eastlink CEO Jeff Gillham, in the release. “We expect them to cover a sizeable portion of our mobile radio access network over the next few years. As a global leader in 5G technology, Nokia will be a key contributor towards helping us deliver the best mobile experience to our customers as we leverage their expertise of next-generation technology that focuses on energy-efficiency and security.”
Nokia’s AirScale 5G portfolio “includes baseband, remote radio heads, and massive MIMO antennas, which provide vast 5G capacity, coverage, and easy deployment,” the press release says. “These solutions are powered by a new energy-efficient generation of ReefShark System-on-Chip (SoC) technology and deliver the highest capacity and network performance while enabling efficient deployments and operation.”
“Nokia is thrilled to partner with Eastlink to enhance their 5G network,” Jeffrey Maddox, president of Nokia Canada, said in the release. “Nokia’s AirScale platform will deliver incredible 5G to Eastlink’s consumer and enterprise customers with cutting edge 5G speeds and reliability. We are thrilled to see more Canadians get the opportunity to enjoy these amazing technologies and to see the transformative impact of 5G technology.”
Eastlink says it has invested $500 million since its launch in 2013 to grow its mobile service across Canada, most recently in New Brunswick and in the Acadian Peninsula next, according to the release.
