Nokia announces completion of 5G new radio data call with 4G and 5G dual connectivity in China

Nokia today has announced that it has successfully completed an end-to-end 5G New Radio (5G NR) data call. This is a part of the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) 5G Technology R&D trial. The 3GPP-compliant dual connectivity call was conducted using a 5G NR system over-the-air on the 3.5GHz frequency band and LTE in the 2.1 GHz frequency band, supported by a 5G user equipment simulator provided by PRISMA Telecom Testing. The dual connectivity for existing 4G operators will allow the company to more rapidly create 5G coverage and services by connecting 5G NR to a 4G radio that is connected to an existing Cloud Packet Core. This is an important step towards the verification of 5G in the sub-6 GHz frequency bands, that is required for wide-area coverage and massive IoT connectivity. This is in preparation of commercial deployment in China in 2020. China will be one of the first adopters of 5G, and will deliver new possibilities for consumers and industries alike. The end-to-end data call uses the Nokia AirScale Cloud RAN, Nokia AirScale baseband unit, Nokia 5G Massive MIMO Active Antenna, Nokia Cloud Packet Core and Nokia home subscriber service together with a 5G end-user equipment simulator provided ...