Nokia’s new Ultra Compact 4G network can provide voice, video and data services in emergency situations, remote locations and events within minutes, and act as a hotspot for public safety organisations, industries and operators.
Oh, and it can fit in a backpack.
After entering into low-footprint networking technology with its “Network in a Box” last year, Nokia has taken the concept of creating rapidly deployable networks further with the Ultra Compact Network. Based on small cells technology, it provides secure indoor and outdoor 4G coverage wherever it is deployed — with a range of 75 km for up to 400 users.
In remote, underserved areas it can provide capacity and coverage, and can utilise cable, satellite or microwave technologies for backhaul to extend an operator’s existing macro network.
When deployed at remote industrial sites, such as mines, petrochemical plants and oil rigs, the Ultra Compact Network can provide business-critical communications, while mobile operators can use the technology to rapidly bridge network coverage gaps or provide temporary additional coverage and capacity in high-traffic locations and events such as outdoor music festivals.
Built around Nokia’s Flexi Zone Small Cells family, the Ultra Compact Network only needs a power supply of 100 W — so it can be easily powered by a car-based inverter or small portable generator. It can also use an external DC battery for full portability.
The Ultra Compact Network allows emergency units to use voice and video, as well as other data-based services in emergency situations when mobile networks have been compromised. Weighing only five kilograms, where there is no road access it can be carried in a backpack, or elevated via a drone or weather balloon.
The potential for search and rescue missions or to help control fires or floods is clear.
“The need for rapidly deployable 4G solutions is closely linked to the explosion of video and data usage in public safety scenarios,” Thorsten Robrecht, head of Advanced Mobile Networks Solutions at Nokia, said.