Nokia announced that it has entered into an agreement with TATA Play Fiber to launch India’s first WiFi6-ready broadband network. With increasing broadband usage in both residential and enterprise areas, there is significant demand for new, high-capacity broadband connections. To meet this demand, broadband networks need future proof fiber and in-home solutions that can scale in line with evolving end-customer needs.
Nokia will supply TATA Play Fiber with a range of fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) and Wi-Fi gear to support its broadband network expansion across India. Specifically, Nokia will provide its state-of-the-art Optical Line Terminal (OLT), Optical Network Terminal (ONT) with Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi mesh Beacons.
With Wi-Fi 6 Tata Play Fiber can offer differentiated services and deliver a rich, indoor user experience for its customers. The new deployment provides an intelligent mesh Wi-Fi 6 solution that allows users to enjoy high-speed internet in every corner of the home. The easy-to-install solution supports low-latency applications such as gaming and can deliver gigabit speeds to multiple devices on the Wi-Fi network. Network security is also enhanced with support for the WPA3 standard.
A key feature of the Nokia solution is its Mesh technology which will ensure seamless coverage for large customer premises and areas with barriers like concrete walls. Nokia’s WiFi 6 mesh technology is ideally suited to residential homes with large and/or multi-floor spaces, as well as for SOHO enterprises, which represent a large addressable market in India. Another differentiating feature of the Nokia solution is the use of its AI/ML software to identify traffic patterns, faults and potential outages in the GPON network so as to optimize the end user experience.
Anand N Sahai, CEO at Tata Play Fiber, said: “Our partnership with Nokia allows us to bring Wifi6-ready network to our customers – which is a first in the category. The deployment of this next generation best-in-class optical networking solution will boost up speed & coverage for multiple smart gadgets in all tech-dependent homes and enterprises.”
Vinish Bawa, Head of Enterprise, Webscale & Emerging business, India, at Nokia, said: “Nokia has been the world leader in optical line terminal (OLT) technologies, and we are proud to be a close partner for Tata Play Fiber in India. This deal is an extension of the work we have already done together and will also notch up a first for India by upgrading the network to be WiFi 6 ready.”