Nokia and CHT deploy the first 5G non-standalone small cells in Taiwan

By Dan Oliver
published

Nokia will provide Taiwanese mobile operator, Chunghwa Telecom (CHT), with 5G small cells to complement 2,500 existing 4G small cells across the country.

Nokia 5G small cell on a lamp post.
(Image credit: Nokia.)

Nokia has announced that it will provide Taiwanese mobile operator, Chunghwa Telecom (CHT), with a range of products from its 5G small cells portfolio, which the Taiwanese MNO will use to get 5G into dense urban environments, including buildings and crowded places such as sports stadiums. 

For mmWave 5G to truly penetrate large areas, it requires the addition of 5G small cells to enable it to enter buildings, and spread beyond the limited range of millimeter waves. And according to a report from Fortune Business Insights, the global investment in 5G small cell technology will grow from $175m in 2019, to $15.9bn by 2026.

"This is a continuation of our innovative and ambitious approach to small cell deployment across Taiwan."

Dr. Max Chen, Chunghwa Telecom.

“This is a continuation of our innovative and ambitious approach to small cell deployment across Taiwan,” said Dr. Max Chen, president of the mobile division at Chunghwa Telecom. “We are an existing customer of Nokia’s 4G small cells portfolio and had no hesitation in also adopting their 5G products for the first wave of deployment.”  

Taiwan's first MNO to deploy 5G (NSA) small cells

CHT is the first operator in Taiwan to deploy 5G non-standalone (NSA) small cells, and Nokia has already commenced deployment and has installed 140 5G small cells. 

"We are proud to support Chunghwa Telecom in their pioneering efforts to deliver compelling 5G coverage to key indoor and outdoor locations."

Tommi Uitto, Nokia.

“We are proud to support Chunghwa Telecom in their pioneering efforts to deliver compelling 5G coverage to key indoor and outdoor locations across Taiwan,” said Tommi Uitto, president of mobile networks at Nokia. “We are delighted they have chosen our small cells portfolio to achieve their ambitious strategy and looking forward to partnering with them moving forward.”

The reason for introducing 5G small cell technology is that millimeter wave signals – the gold standard of 5G connectivity – don't travel very far, and can’t penetrate walls, therefore making small cells vital for in-building coverage.

And Nokia will supply CHT with its AirScale indoor Radio (ASiR) solution, for better indoor coverage and capacity, as well as its AirScale micro RRH, for outdoor and urban hot spots. These will be deployed to complement the existing base of over 2,500 sets of 4G small cells currently deployed by Nokia in Taiwan.



Dan Oliver
Dan Oliver

Dan is a British journalist with 20 years of experience in the design and tech sectors, producing content for the likes of Microsoft, Adobe, Dell and The Sunday Times. In 2012 he helped launch the world's number one design blog, Creative Bloq. Dan is now editor-in-chief at 5Gradar, where he oversees news, insight and reviews, providing an invaluable resource for anyone looking to stay up-to-date with the key issues facing 5G.