Nokia Flexi Multiradio Family Current Analysis Assesment PDF

Product Assessment - LTE eNodeB
Nokia - Flexi Multiradio Family

Gubbins, Ed | May 04, 2016
JJ Summary
Gubbins, Ed
Current Analysis
Senior Analyst, Mobile
Access Infrastructure
Competitive Strengths
3G and 4G capacity per site are market-leading and 2G capacity is nearly so

Broader range of supported spectrum bands than competitors
Market-leading power output and range of output options
Instantaneous Bandwidth in the three most common FD-LTE bands unsurpassed by rivals
AirScale, Nokias first new base station in years, will offer increased capacity and other benefits when
available in August
Acquired Alcatel-Lucent assets increase Nokias installed base and market share
Competitive Weaknesses
Baseband unit cell-capacity density lags all rival claims

Baseband unit user-capacity density trails rival claims
RRU form factors, on average, are physically bulkier than rival products
Recent unexplained increases in carrier capacity claims could create confusion
Multiple product introductions have trailed similar moves from rivals.
2015 Current Analysis Inc. All rights reserved.

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Commitment to support Alcatel-Lucent products in the near term consumes resources and could give
rivals opportunities to penetrate accounts
Current Perspective
LEADER
Nokias LTE eNodeB portfolio is a leader in the market. The vendors Flexi Multiradio 10 BTS, suited for
both indoor and outdoor deployments, supports up to nine baseband modules (each module supporting
up to nine LTE carriers @ 20 MHz) and RF modules that can also be used as Remote Radio Units (RRUs).
Nokia also offers six LTE small cells, which are analyzed more fully in a separate report.
In 2015, Nokia acquired Alcatel-Lucent, including its LTE RAN portfolio, promising to support the
installed base of this equipment but positioning its own existing portfolio as its primary offering for the LTE
RAN macrocell market.
In early 2016, Nokia announced new LTE RAN products as part of its AirScale offerings, including a new
multi-RAT base station promising ten times the capacity of its existing gear and a new dual-band 2x100 W
radio unit. Both products are to be available in August and not included in this analysis.
Managing these multiple points of transition the absorption of Alcatel-Lucents assets and the bridge
between the Flexi Multiradio 10 and AirScale will pose significant challenges for Nokia. Operator concerns
about Alcatel-Lucent products sunsetting may give rivals an opportunity. Likewise, the promise of AirScale
may forestall near-term purchases of the Flexi Multiradio 10 since the Flexi 10s capacity claims are still lower
than AirScales. At the same time, AirScale can be used to deflect some of the criticisms that rivals may make
of the Flexi 10 for example, the relatively low number of cells and users it supports per liter of hardware
space.
JJ Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
2G/3G/4G Capacity: Nokia claims the Flexi Multiradio 10, in its full ninemodule configuration, can
support 162 carriers of LTE capacity as well as 324 TRX of GSM capacity and 324 sectorcarriers of
WCDMA. Those WCDMA and LTE capacities leads the market, and the GSM figure is surpassed only
by Ericsson. Whether or not operators need as much capacity as Nokias upper limits represent, its claims
assure operators theyll have plenty of room to scale.
Spectrum Support: Nokia claims its Flexi Multiradio 10 base stations support 31 different spectrum

bands a nearly market-leading claim surpassed only by Huaweis 33. This broad support increases the
global addressability of Nokias solutions and feeds its strategy of being known as a mobile broadband
specialist.
RF Power Output: Nokias eNodeB portfolio includes remote radio heads and RF modules with scalable
output power levels to suit some of the most demanding network requirements. Nokias highest-power
RF module offers up to 360 W (6x60 W), and its RRUs offer up to 120 W (4T4R and 2T2R) or 160 W
(8T8R), depending on configuration. The 360 W upper limit exceeds the claims of all rivals, as does the
range of options covered by Nokias portfolio. These options help keep operators from paying for more
power than they need, and the maximum level Nokia claims surpasses those of its rivals. An ability to
support multiple options helps keep operators from paying for a higher output power level than is needed.
Instantaneous Bandwidth: In three of the most commonly used FDLTE bands (Bands 3, 7 and 20),
Nokia reported instantaneous bandwidth(IBW) of 75 MHz, 70 MHz and 30 MHz figures that match
Samsung at the top of market claims. Unlike Samsung, however, Nokia didnt report an IBW of its
Flexi MultiRadio 10 in Band 40, the most commonly used TD-LTE band. High IBW the maximum
continuous spectrum bandwidth that a base station can acquire implies greater efficiency in fully
utilizing spectrum assets.
AirScale Ahead: Though not generally available until August, the Airscale platform Nokia introduced in
early 2016 promises a significant capacity boost and other performance benefits. It also refreshes Nokias
eNodeB portfolio for the first time in roughly five years and offers a potent response to the Radio System
products Ericsson unveiled in early 2015.
Alcatel-Lucent Assets: The acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent gives Nokia a greatly increased installed base of
LTE RAN solutions and a welldeveloped LTE small-cell business to leverage. Independent analyst research
has credited Nokia (combined with Alcatel-Lucent) with a leading share of the global LTE RAN market in
H1 2015. Though these assets come with some challenges (see Weaknesses, below), the heightened market
power of the combined businesses can counter the advantages enjoyed by traditional market share leaders
Ericsson and Huawei.
Weaknesses
BBU Cell Support Density: Nokia claims its Flexi Multiradio 10 supports up to 18 cells per physical
BBU. The 25 L volume of the FD-LTE Flexi 10 implies less than one cell supported per liter. And the 18
L volume of the TD-LTEonly indoor version implies one cell per liter. Both are lower figures than any
other vendor reports. High cell support density promises operators the ability to handle increasing traffic
loads in a given unit of space.
BBU User Support Density: Nokia claims its Flexi Multiradio 10 supports up to 7,560 active users per
physical BBUThe 25 L volume of the FD-LTE Flexi 10 implies support of 302 users per liter, and the
18 L volume of the indoor TD-LTE-only version implies 420 users per liter. Both are less than all other
vendors report for a highcapacity eNodeB. The ability to handle large volumes of users simultaneously in a
given amount of hardware space helps protect operators investments from spikes in network traffic loads .
Remote Radio Form Factors: The physical volume of Nokias RRUs varies widely from 5 L one of
the most compact RRUs on the market to 33 L. The average across this portfolio, 25 L, is higher than
those of all four top competitors. Compact form factors can help ease installation and siting, potentially
lowering operating costs.
Trailing Moves: Multiple recent solution introductions appear to illustrate Nokia following competitors
actions. Its introduction of integrated antenna solutions in 2015 have it following a trail that Ericsson
began blazing in 2011 and Huawei and ZTE have since followed. And the RRH Book Mount solution
Nokia unveiled in 2015 bears no small resemblance to the Blade RRU Huawei introduced long before.

Though Nokia may claim that the superior performance of these solutions shows it leapfrogging
competitors, it will have to contend with the perception that it is following rather than leading.
Alcatel-Lucent Assets: Nokia remains committed to support the installed base of Alcatel-Lucent RAN
equipment it obtained through acquisition. Though this gives the vendor copious opportunities to
upgrade customers to its own flagship products, it also divides Nokias attention and resources and forces
the vendor to address customer concerns about product lifespans all of which rivals will try to exploit.
JJ Point and Counterpoint
Point
Huawei and ZTE will argue that Nokias RRU portfolio does not offer enough variety (in terms of form
factors, antenna configurations and power output levels), making it difficult for operators to match their
infrastructure investments precisely to their needs.
Counterpoint
Nokia will respond by pointing out that (a) its RRUs offer greater flexibility through granularly adjustable
power levels and (b) many of the additional RRU options from rivals have larger, unwieldy form factors.
Point
Ericsson and ZTE will argue that Nokias eNodeB capacity density in terms of cells and active users
supported per baseband unit is inferior, meaning that Nokia requires operators to consume more space
(and incur more cost) to scale capacity.
Counterpoint
Nokia will respond that the Flexi Multiradio 10 leads the market in terms of total LTE carrier capacity
per site, supporting up to 162. It will further point out that the AirScale available in August features a
significant capacity boost.
Point
All of Nokias competitors will argue that operators currently using Alcatel- Lucent equipment should
immediately investigate plans to transition away, potentially targeting upgrade cycles like LTE-Advanced
or LTE-Advanced Pro rather than wait for 5G.
Counterpoint
Nokia will respond by arguing that its ongoing support of Alcatel-Lucent gear allows operators to
maximize the return on those investments before upgrading to Nokia gear.
Buying/Selecting Criteria

JJ Base Station Capacity
STRONG
LTE Carriers: Nokias Flexi Multiradio 10 promises support of 18 carriers per baseband module and
162 carriers per site (with nine modules). These figures were revised upward in Q1 2016 from long-held
claims of supporting up to nine carriers per module and 81 per site. The new per-site total puts Nokia
at the top of market claims. Generally speaking, high capacity levels can benefit mobile operators by
reducing the number of base stations needed to support traffic growth.
BBU Cell Support Density: Nokia claims its Flexi Multiradio 10 supports up to 18 cells per physical
BBU. The 25 L volume of the FD-LTE Flexi 10 implies less than one cell supported per liter. And the 18
L volume of the TD-LTE-only indoor version implies one cell per liter. Both are lower figures than any
other vendor reports. High cell support density promises operators the ability to handle increasing traffic
loads in a given unit of space.
BBU User Support Density: Nokia claims its Flexi Multiradio 10 supports up to 7,560 active users per
physical BBUThe 25 L volume of the FD-LTE Flexi 10 implies support of 302 users per liter, and the
18 L volume of the indoor TD-LTE-only version implies 420 users per liter. Both are less than all other
vendors report for a high-capacity eNodeB. The ability to handle large volumes of users simultaneously
in a given amount of hardware space helps protect operators investments from spikes in network traffic
loads.
JJ RF Performance
LEADER
Output Power: The Flexi Multiradio 10 offers a variety of RF modules and RRUs with a variety of
output power levels, in adjustable steps starting at 1 W per transceiver. Nokias highest-power RF module
offers up to 360 W (6x60 W), and its RRUs offer up to 120 W (4T4R and 2T2R) or 160 W (8T8R),
depending on configuration. The 360 W upper limit exceeds the claims of all rivals, as does the range of
options covered by Nokias portfolio. High output power enhances coverage by extending cell reach or
penetrating deeper into structures, and wide variety of options helps keep operators from paying for more
power than they need.
Spectrum Support: Nokia claims support for 31 different spectrum bands a nearly market-leading
claim surpassed only by Huaweis 33. The more spectrum bands available with a base station, the more
deployment scenarios it can support.
Antenna Configurations: Nokias Flexi Multiradio 10 supports a highly competitive and distinguished
set of antenna configurations, including 4x2 and 4x4 MIMO, 64 QAM uplink and up to 8 Rx uplink
MU-MIMO. Additionally, it offers eight-path downlink dual- stream MIMO, eight-path downlink
MU-MIMO and 8x2 SU-MIMO in TD-LTE. MIMO antenna support allows for better coverage and/or
better capacity, and active antennas can improve network efficiency and user experience by directing radio
resources where theyre most needed.
Instantaneous Bandwidth: In three of the most commonly used FD-LTE bands (Bands 3, 7 and 20),
Nokia reported instantaneous bandwidth (IBW) of 75 MHz, 70 MHz and 30 MHz figures that match
Samsung at the top of market claims. Unlike Samsung, however, Nokia didnt report the IBW of its
Flexi MultiRadio 10 in Band 40, the most commonly used TD-LTE band. High IBW the maximum
continuous spectrum bandwidth that a base station can acquire implies greater efficiency in fully
utilizing spectrum assets.

JJ Site Deployment Flexibility
STRONG
Base Station Volume: Nokias FMR10 system modules each take up about 25 liters of space (and an
indoor TD-LTE version is less than 18 L). That volume ranks on the high side relative to competing
BBUs, but the Flexi 10s modular architecture promises more efficient space consumption than
competitors cabinet-based offerings. Base stations with smaller volumes can promise operators lower real
estate rental fees and potentially lower labor costs upon installation.
Base Station Mass: The modules used in building Nokias base stations weigh 25 kg each a figure that
falls in the middle of rival claims. Lower mass base stations can offer potential savings through easier
installation.
Remote Radio Form Factors: The physical volume of Nokias RRUs varies widely from 5 L one of
the most compact RRUs on the market to 33 L. The average across this portfolio, 25 L, is higher than
those of all four top competitors. Compact form factors can help ease installation and siting, potentially
lowering operating costs.
Integrated Antennas: Nokia introduced three integrated antenna solutions in 2015 one with a single
4x40 W radio inside and two that each have two 4x40 W radios inside. With 2T2R, 2T4R and 4T4R
options, Nokia matches the two earliest movers in this area Ericsson and Huawei, and its claims of
support for up to nine or 12 bands, depending on the solution, is distinguishing, as is claims of flexibility
stemming from a looser integration (and the ability to repurpose radio modules) than most rivals
promote. Integrated antennas (which combine radios and antennas in a single form factor) can avoid
signal attenuation and siting costs by reducing the number of tower-mounted nodes.
Small Cell Solutions: Nokia offers six LTE small cells: the Flexi Zone Outdoor Micro/Pico BTS, Flexi
Zone Indoor Pico BTS, Flexi Zone Outdoor Pico-E, Flexi Zone G2 Outdoor Pico BTS, Flexi Zone
G2 Indoor Pico BTS and FAPe-lte 7610. Current Analysis rates Nokias portfolio as Very Strong in
the market, surpassed only by Alcatel-Lucent, which was ranked as the spaces sole Leader, and whose
small-cell portfolio Nokia now owns. A competitive small-cell portfolio is an important part of any RAN
vendors potency in the global LTE eNodeB market.
JJ Technology Evolution
LEADER
LTE-Advanced: Nokia earned credibility in LTE-A by supplying the first three operators to commercially
launch services based on LTE-As carrier aggregation features: SK Telecom, Korea Telecom and LG U+.
In addition to continuing wins in this area (e.g., du, Zain KSA), Nokia has demonstrated well-rounded
expertise , aggregating ten bands more than any of its rivals and aggregating TD-LTE with FD-LTE
earlier than nearly all of its rivals. Support of LTE-Advanced is important in ensuring operators that have
not yet selected LTE eNodeB vendors that their networks will be ready for advanced features. Support
of carrier aggregation in particular is important for near-term spectrum utilization and keeping up with
capacity needs.
C-RAN: Nokia has promoted a differentiated centralized RAN solution, primarily targeting stadium/
arena environments, that uses a dynamic uplink version of Coordinated Multipoint (CoMP) technology
to mitigate uplink interference and increase network performance. Nokia has also promoted Ethernet
fronthaul solutions it is developing setting it apart from most RAN vendors though it has been quieter
on this topic amid its acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent. Centralized and virtualized RAN architectures may
help some operators increase the efficiency of their mobile access networks and lower installation and rent

costs at cell sites; however, C-RANs applicability may be limited to areas with plentiful available fiber.
GSM TRX: Nokias Flexi Multiradio 10 BTS promises GSM capacity support of up to 648 TRX in its
maximum configuration surpassing all other major competitors except Ericssons 6000 platform. GSM
capacity support allows operators to support a larger number of 2G subscribers with the same equipment
intended to migrate them eventually to LTE.
WCDMA Carriers: Nokias Flexi Multiradio 10 promises support for up to 324 SC - the highest level
currently marketed by any major vendor. WCDMA capacity support allows operators to support a larger
number of 3G subscribers with the same equipment intended to migrate them to LTE.
Metrics
JJ LTE Base Stations

Model Name Flexi Multiradio 10 BTS
Components RF units and System Modules (BBUs). System
Modules come with sharing software for unit-level
sharing of module capacity across various RATs
and across capacity expansion submodules, so site
could share capacity across 2G, 3G & LTE and
also grow to 3-fold when needed without adding
footprint. RF units can be either 3- sector RF
modules or single-sector RRUs with different in-
stallation options such as pole mount, wall mount,
Flexi Book Mount, integrated Active Antenna. All
units are outdoor IP65- protected and do not need
external cabinets or cooling systems. A separate
indoor System Module is available for TD-LTE.
Dimensions 133x447x422 mm (outdoor and indoor),
111x448x360 mm (TD-LTE indoor)
Footprint 0.19 m2 (indoor and outdoor)
Mass 25 kg per module (less for RRHs)
Multi-chassis Higher capacity is achieved by adding modules.
Two capacity-expansion submodules (cards) can
be plugged into system module to triple capacity
without adding volume. Up to 9 system modules
can be chained. Expansion modules for transport
included. Functions such as IPsec security and
synch for TD-LTE with ToP do not require ad-
ditional hardware.
Max LTE Carriers per Frame 18
Max LTE Carriers 162
Cells Supported per Baseband Unit 18

Simultaneous Active Users Supported per Base- 7,560

band Unit
Spectrum Support Bands 1-5, 7-14, 17-21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30-32,
38-42, 66
Output Power Options 180/240 W (3T6R) RFM, 360 W (6T6R) RFM,
160 W (8T8R) and 160/120 W (4T4R) 80/120
W (2T2R) RRH, 160 W (2T2R +2T), all in
operator-adjustable steps starting at 1 W per pipe.
Flexi Metro RRH = 5 W + 5 W, tunable down to
50 mW Integrated Antenna 5W per port, 2T2R
TD-LTE-Advanced Radio, Multi-Mode TD-LTE-
A Radio with high transmit power (TD-LTE-A
+ TD- SCDMA), and low power TD-LTE- Ad-
vanced for transmit power with 1W per port
Output Power Adjustment Output power of the radio can be done remotely
by software in multiple ways. Hardware supports
output power adjustment. i.e. no need to run
full power all the time and no need for hardware
changes. For example: (1): Nokia Intelligent Beam-
forming algorithm dynamically changes the use of
transmit antennas and Beamforming techniques
based on the traffic load and dynamically reduces
transmit power - thus reducing power consump-
tion. (2): Nokia SRAN Energy Efficiency features
such as uDTX, MIMO switch off and layer switch
off
Antenna Configurations Intelligent Beamforming including 8 Transmit
Coordinated Beamforming for TD-LTE, 8x2
SU-MIMO with MU_MIMO (TM9 Advanced),
Supercells with TM9 MU-MIMO called as
SuperTM9, 4x2 MIMO, 8-path downlink dual-
stream MIMO and 8-path downlink TM8 with
MU-MIMO (TM8 Advanced) in TD-LTE. 4x4
MIMO introduction in line w/ device support,
64 QAM UL, up to 8Rx UL_COMP, up to 8 Rx
UL MU-MIMO. 8 MU-MIMO for DL and UL.
DL_COMP demonstrated with LGU+ at MWC-
2015
LTE-A Carrier Aggregation Dual Band Yes. LGU+, SK Telecom, KT, Optus, STC,
KDDI, Taiwan Mobile, Maroc Telecom, Chungh-
wa Telecom. Nokia also has a prominent presence
in other markets including Elisa, TeliaSonera, Salt,
Megafone, T-Mobile, du, Ooredoo, Starhub
LTE-A Carrier Aggregation Tri Band Yes. Supplier to all three Korean operators with
3-band CA services.

TD LTE/FD LTE Carrier Aggregation Yes

Packet Transport ATM, ATM IMA, 100bT, GigE, GPON
GSM Support 648 TRX
WCDMA Support 324 SC
TD-LTE Support Yes, capacity same as FDD
Simultaneous Multi- Standard Software-defined System Module (BBU) & RF
units for GSM, WCDMA, FDD and TDD LTE
and LTE-A. Software allows
Support concurrent sharing of system module capacity
across multiple RATs.
RAN Sharing Support All RAN sharing methods are supported for GSM,
WCDMA and LTE. The MOBSS for GSM,
MORAN for LTE and WCDMA and MOCN for
GSM, WCDMA and LTE are software features.
We also support roaming based sharing, dedicated
or shared spectrum, RF sharing and baseband
(system module) sharing. Nokia is one of the lead-
ing sharing suppliers and our first implementation
dates back to year 2004 (3GIS Sweden). Nokia
Small Cells also support this. TT-Network (TTN),
the joint venture between TeliaSonera and Telenor,
has completed the final phase of its groundbreak-
ing Single RAN network sharing project, for which
Nokia Networks was the sole radio and services
provider. This is the first time ever that a network
across GSM, 3G and LTE has been supplied to two
operators sharing the network and frequencies.
Commercial Availability Q2 2011
Outdoor Adjuncts Flexi Multiradio 10 BTS
LTE Small Cells Flexi Zone Outdoor Micro/Pico BTS; Flexi Zone
Indoor Pico BTS; Flexi Zone Outdoor Pico-E;
Flexi Zone G2 Outdoor Pico BTS, Flexi Zone G2
Indoor Pico BTS; Flexi Zone G2 Outdoor Multi-
Band Micro/Pico BTS; FAPe-lte 7610

JJ Remote Radio Units

Remote Radio Unit Model Names 180/240 W (3T6R) RFM, 360 W (6T6R) RFM,
160 W (8T8R) and 160/120 W (4T4R) 80/120
W (2T2R) RRH, 160 W (2T2R +2T), all in
operator-adjustable steps starting at 1 W per pipe.
Flexi Metro RRH = 5 W + 5 W, tunable down to
50 mW. 2T2R TD-LTE-Advanced Radio , Multi-
Mode TD-LTE-A Radio with high transmit power
(TD-LTE-A + TD-SCDMA), and low power
TD-LTE- Advanced for transmit power with 1W
per port
Remote Radio Unit Volume 336x245x264 mm; 336x264x278 mm;
441x355x203 mm; 133x447x420/560 mm;
133x447x420/560 mm; 175x95x300 mm
Remote Radio Unit RF Power Output Level and 180/240 W (3T6R) RFM, 360 W (6T6R) RFM,
Antenna Configuration 160 W (8T8R) , 160/120 W (4T4R) 80/120
(2T2R) RRH, 160 W (2T2R +2T), all in operator-
adjustable steps starting at 1 W per pipe. Flexi
Metro RRH = 5 W + 5 W, tunable down to 50
mW. Integrated Antenna 5W per port, 2T2R
TD-LTE-Advanced Radio , Multi-Mode TD-LTE-
A Radio with high transmit power (TD-LTE-A
+ TD- SCDMA), and low power TD-LTE- Ad-
vanced for transmit power with 1W per port
JJ Integrated Antenna/Radio Solutions

Integrated Antenna/Radios Flexi Radio Antenna System: Flexi RAS A, Flexi
RAS B, Flexi RAS C, TDD Integrated Antenna
2T2R TD-LTE- Advanced Radio
Volume Varies by radio pipes and generation. Anywhere
from 11 liters up to 25 liters
Spectrum Band Support Flexi RAS A - One RRH of up to 4 pipes. Flexi
RAS B & Flexi RAS C - Two RRH of up to
4-pipes. In Nokias Roadmap due to RASs ultra
wide band frequencies support, a single Flexi RAS
C plans to soon support 5 Bands simultaneously
Antenna Configurations 2T2R, 2T4R, 4T4R
Power Output Up to 4X40 W
General Availability Timing Available


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Product Assessment - LTE eNodeB

Nokia - Flexi Multiradio Family

3G and 4G capacity per site are market-leading and 2G capacity is nearly so

Baseband unit cell-capacity density lags all rival claims

2015 Current Analysis Inc. All rights reserved.

JJ Strengths and Weaknesses

2015 Current Analysis Inc. All rights reserved.

2015 Current Analysis Inc. All rights reserved.

JJ Point and Counterpoint

2015 Current Analysis Inc. All rights reserved.

JJ Base Station Capacity

2015 Current Analysis Inc. All rights reserved.

JJ Site Deployment Flexibility

2015 Current Analysis Inc. All rights reserved.

JJ LTE Base Stations

2015 Current Analysis Inc. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous Active Users Supported per Base- 7,560

2015 Current Analysis Inc. All rights reserved.

TD LTE/FD LTE Carrier Aggregation Yes

2015 Current Analysis Inc. All rights reserved.

JJ Remote Radio Units

JJ Integrated Antenna/Radio Solutions

2015 Current Analysis Inc. All rights reserved.

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