Nokia launches ReefShark chipsets that deliver massive performance gain in 5G networks
A Nokia logo is seen at the company's headquarters in Espoo, Finland, May 5, 2017. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins Reuters
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Nokia is introducing new silicon chipsets - the building blocks of its next-generation 5G network gear - that promise big increases in the data-handling capacity for mobile towers in densely trafficked urban areas or high-rise buildings.
Finland's Nokia, the world's No. 2 maker of mobile network gear behind China's Huawei [HWT.UL] said on Monday the chipsets are set to ship in volume in the third quarter and can be inserted into its existing AirScale family of 4G and 5G-ready network gear.
Dubbed ReefShark, Nokia said the chipsets triple capacity to 84 gigabits per second from 28 gigabits in its existing chip modules. These modules can be stacked up to enable a single cell tower/basestation to handle up to 6 terabits per second.
The previous record for data consumption at a single sporting event was set at last year's Super Bowl football championship game in Houston, when U.S. mobile operators and network equipment operators reported roughly 40 terabits or trillions of bits, of data were consumed on game day in 2017.
Built into a single cell tower, Nokia chipsets could handle 100 times the combined mobile and wi-fi data consumed by stadium fans at last year's Super Bowl football championship, Nokia Mobile Networks marketing chief Phil Twist told Reuters.
Beside tripling data handling capacity, the company also said its new chips can cut in half the size of antennas in cell towers while cutting their power consumption by two-thirds.
Nokia said it is working with 30 mobile operators to deploy the new products into their wireless towers, meaning that the first networks could be upgraded later this year, with mass-market deployments to follow as 5G-ready devices hit the market.
The chipsets run so-called Massive MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) antennas that can send and receive dozens of separate streams of data simultaneously, offering far greater network capacity and coverage from a single cell tower, it said.
The chipsets will allow the size of antennas, on average, to be cut in half to as small as 45 centimeters (18 inches) tall from existing antennas that range in size from 1 meter (3.3 ft) to 2.6 meters tall, enabling them to fit in far more locations.
South Korea, Japan and the United States all have several network operators in each market preparing mainstream 5G network launches later in 2018 or in 2019, with China likely to join the early wave rather than lagging behind. Under a 2016 plan, the European Union wants to deploy 5G for all urban areas by 2025.
U.S. President Donald Trump's national security team is also looking at building a super-fast 5G wireless network among options under consideration to counter the threat of China spying on U.S. phone calls, a senior administration official said on Sunday.
Nokia ( NOK ) on Monday detailed its 5G architecture platform called "Future X," which is the basis for its new reference silicon design and the foundation of its 5G technology and services portfolio.
The Future X platform encompasses eight major technologies, including Nokia 5G New Radio, AirScale Radio Access, 5G AirScale Active Antennas, 5G Small Cells, 5G Anyhaul, 5G Core, Massive Scale Access and 5G Acceleration Services.
"With our 5G Future X portfolio we are opening up network data and network intelligence to our customers to jointly program and tailor machine learning and automation that runs on our new silicon," Marc Rouanne, president of mobile networks said. "The Future X architecture invented by our Nokia Bell Labs research has made it possible to mix the knowledge across Nokia, between IP, Optics, RF, software and innovative in-house silicon. We now expect to be able to deliver unprecedented capabilities and efficiencies that will allow our customers to transform their service offering for 5G."
Espoo, Finland - Nokia has unveiled its new ReefShark chipsets, which leverage in-house silicon expertise to dramatically reduce the size, cost and power consumption of operators' networks and meet the massive compute and radio requirements of 5G.
Incorporating Nokia Bell Labs artificial intelligence (AI) innovations as well as Nokia's extensive capabilities in antenna development for mobile devices and base stations, ReefShark chipsets leverage silicon developed by Nokia in Oulu, Espoo and Tampere, Finland as well as Sunnyvale, California.
ReefShark chipsets for radio frequency (RF) units such as the radio used in antennas significantly improve their performance. This results in halving the size of massive MIMO antennas. ReefShark chipsets also reduce power consumption in baseband units by 64%, compared to such units in use today.
The ReefShark chipsets for compute capacity are delivered as plug-in units for the commercially available Nokia AirScale baseband module. AirScale is software upgradeable to full 5G functionality, and these plug-in units triple throughput from Nokia's already market-leading 28 Gbps today, to up to 84 Gbps per module. Additionally, AirScale baseband module chaining supports base station throughputs of up to 6 terabits per second, which will allow operators to meet the huge growing densification demands and support the massive enhanced mobile broadband needs of people and devices in megacities.
AI in 5G networks enables real-time radio monitoring and optimization and the ability to apply techniques such as network slicing to meet the service level demands of new business cases. Nokia is developing technology with common interfaces and toolkits allowing service providers to implement machine learning applications in their networks.
Nokia is working with 30 operators using ReefShark and will ramp up field deployments during the third quarter of 2018.
Neil McRae, BT Chief Architect, said "By incorporating ReefShark into our network we will leverage the huge network performance improvements that will allow us to unleash the full potential of 5G."
Henri Tervonen, CTO of Nokia Mobile Networks and head of R&D Foundationsaid: "With ReefShark, Nokia has created a clear competitive advantage. Its combination of power, intelligence and efficiency make it ideally suited to be at the heart of fast arriving 5G networks."
About the Nokia ReefShark chipsets
Did You Know
We create the technology to connect the world. Powered by the research and innovation of Nokia Bell Labs, we serve communications service providers, governments, large enterprises and consumers, with the industry's most complete, end-to-end portfolio of products, services and licensing.
From the enabling infrastructure for 5G and the Internet of Things, to emerging applications in digital health, we are shaping the future of technology to transform the human experience. nokia.com
The Future X platform encompasses eight major technologies, including Nokia 5G New Radio, AirScale Radio Access, 5G AirScale Active Antennas, 5G Small Cells, 5G Anyhaul, 5G Core, Massive Scale Access and 5G Acceleration Services.
"With our 5G Future X portfolio we are opening up network data and network intelligence to our customers to jointly program and tailor machine learning and automation that runs on our new silicon," Marc Rouanne, president of mobile networks said. "The Future X architecture invented by our Nokia Bell Labs research has made it possible to mix the knowledge across Nokia, between IP, Optics, RF, software and innovative in-house silicon. We now expect to be able to deliver unprecedented capabilities and efficiencies that will allow our customers to transform their service offering for 5G."
Espoo, Finland - Nokia has unveiled its new ReefShark chipsets, which leverage in-house silicon expertise to dramatically reduce the size, cost and power consumption of operators' networks and meet the massive compute and radio requirements of 5G.
Incorporating Nokia Bell Labs artificial intelligence (AI) innovations as well as Nokia's extensive capabilities in antenna development for mobile devices and base stations, ReefShark chipsets leverage silicon developed by Nokia in Oulu, Espoo and Tampere, Finland as well as Sunnyvale, California.
ReefShark chipsets for radio frequency (RF) units such as the radio used in antennas significantly improve their performance. This results in halving the size of massive MIMO antennas. ReefShark chipsets also reduce power consumption in baseband units by 64%, compared to such units in use today.
The ReefShark chipsets for compute capacity are delivered as plug-in units for the commercially available Nokia AirScale baseband module. AirScale is software upgradeable to full 5G functionality, and these plug-in units triple throughput from Nokia's already market-leading 28 Gbps today, to up to 84 Gbps per module. Additionally, AirScale baseband module chaining supports base station throughputs of up to 6 terabits per second, which will allow operators to meet the huge growing densification demands and support the massive enhanced mobile broadband needs of people and devices in megacities.
AI in 5G networks enables real-time radio monitoring and optimization and the ability to apply techniques such as network slicing to meet the service level demands of new business cases. Nokia is developing technology with common interfaces and toolkits allowing service providers to implement machine learning applications in their networks.
Nokia is working with 30 operators using ReefShark and will ramp up field deployments during the third quarter of 2018.
Neil McRae, BT Chief Architect, said "By incorporating ReefShark into our network we will leverage the huge network performance improvements that will allow us to unleash the full potential of 5G."
Henri Tervonen, CTO of Nokia Mobile Networks and head of R&D Foundationsaid: "With ReefShark, Nokia has created a clear competitive advantage. Its combination of power, intelligence and efficiency make it ideally suited to be at the heart of fast arriving 5G networks."
About the Nokia ReefShark chipsets
- Incorporate leading system design and nanometer chip technology
- Decrease massive MIMO antenna size by half
- 64% reduction in power consumption in the baseband unit.
- ReefShark Digital Front End for LTE and 5G radio systems supporting massive MIMO
- ReefShark RFIC front-end module and transceiver: massive MIMO Adaptive Antenna solution
- ReefShark Baseband Processor: All-in-one compute heavy design, capable of supporting the massive scale requirements of 5G. This is the brain power of baseband processing.
Did You Know
- In another major silicon announcement in 2017, Nokia introduced a breakthrough portfolio of internet routing platforms that incorporate Nokia FP4 silicon - the world's first 2.4 Tbps network processor - to let service providers and webscale operators implement IP networks that deliver a generational boost to performance, unprecedented scale, security and functionality to support the connection and automation of billions of devices.
- Video: Nokia ReefShark
- Web Page: Nokia 5G
We create the technology to connect the world. Powered by the research and innovation of Nokia Bell Labs, we serve communications service providers, governments, large enterprises and consumers, with the industry's most complete, end-to-end portfolio of products, services and licensing.
From the enabling infrastructure for 5G and the Internet of Things, to emerging applications in digital health, we are shaping the future of technology to transform the human experience. nokia.com
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