Nokia, VHA trial NR 700 MHz for 5G in Australia

Nokia and Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) have announced what they say is the first deployment of low-band NR 700 MHz spectrum in a field test environment in a 5G network in Australia and the Asia–Pacific region.

According to the companies, once it goes live, the use of 700 MHz spectrum will enhance VHA’s 5G network coverage, improve indoor coverage and deliver high-speed 5G connectivity where it is being made available.

The deployment, which uses Nokia’s AirScale product range, is being tested on some of VHA’s 5G sites in and around Parramatta.

The 700 MHz spectrum will be rolled out to selected areas as part of VHA’s 5G rollout.

Where it will optimise network performance, Vodafone said it will repurpose the 700 MHz spectrum to 5G 700 MHz, enabling the delivery of 5G while maintaining the performance of the existing 4G network.

“We are proud to be showcasing this innovative use of the lowest band spectrum available in Australia with the first live test deployment of 5G on low-band 700 MHz spectrum in our region,” said Iñaki Berroeta, VHA’s Chief Executive Officer.

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