Nokia to modernize private nationwide LTE network for Finland's Ukkoverkot, supporting industrial and public safety services

Press Release

• New mobile network supports Ukkoverkot customers including industrial IoT market, critical communications customers and private LTE-based network clientele, all seeking to capitalize on opportunies of digitalization
• Solution includes Nokia's 450MHz LTE, deployed for the first time in Finland
• Ukkoverkot has signed Finnish airport operator Finavia as their first micro-operator customer, building private LTE network for Helsinki airport with Nokia technology
• Contract underlines Nokia's increasing momentum around expanding into new vertical markets

             
19 September, 2017

Espoo, Finland - Nokia is to completely modernize the nationwide LTE network for Ukkoverkot, the Finnish private network operator offering wireless data communications services for infrastructure operators, the industrial IoT market, public safety authorities, the maritime industry and both residents and enterprises in remote areas. The new network will be powered by Nokia's leading LTE solution, which provides superior network quality, capacity, security and reliability required for such specialized use cases.

Founded in 2014, Ukkoverkot operates its own LTE-based mobile data network and a number of local private LTE networks, offering fast connections using the 450 MHz and 2.6 GHz spectrum bands. Ukkoverkot's low-frequency nationwide network is largely reserved for the use of its industrial and public safety customers, which helps ensure exceptional network stability and reliability, while its high frequency network is reserved for private micro-operator networks. As a pure broadband operator, Ukkoverkot's network exclusively carries data services.

Starting in Q4 2017, Nokia will upgrade Ukkoverkot's older-generation network technology to Nokia's state-of-the-art LTE-based solution, which significantly improves network performance. This enables Ukkoverkot's customers in industrial IoT settings to capitalize on opportunities related to new Industry 4.0. applications, while critical communications and public safety operators can benefit from ultra-reliable, high-bandwidth services supporting all standardized public safety features. Due to better propagation characteristics, low-band spectrum can provide a larger coverage area than high-band spectrum, which makes Nokia's 450 MHz LTE network solution ideal for delivering services in sparsely populated areas such as the Nordic countries.

This agreement highlights Nokia's growing momentum around the delivery of critical communications networks for customers outside of the traditional communications service provider market. Large industrial and public sector organizations are seeking robust, reliable and highly resilient networks to support services on which - in some cases - lives depend, and Nokia's solutions are ideally suited to addressing this challenge.

Harri Karjalainen, CIO of Finnish airport operator Finavia, said: "We are delighted to be among the first using a private LTE network in Finland, supporting our current and future connectivity needs and strategy at the Helsinki airport - the largest in the country. Ukkoverkot and the Nokia solution currently being rolled out is unique; we expect it to provide unprecedented capacity and resilience for our critical airport services."

Mikko Uusitalo, CEO of Ukkoverkot, said: "Ukkoverkot is totally focused on serving our customers, for whom connectivity means the world. The agreement with Nokia enables us to roll out the most advanced public protection, IoT and campus network functions as they are available. The agreement with Finavia to develop their airport infrastructure on Nokia technology is clear testimony to the potential we have."

Thorsten Robrecht, head of Advanced Mobile Network Solutions at Nokia, said: "With their LTE network based on Nokia's wide portfolio of technologies, Ukkoverkot brings the benefits of broadband data to the reach of new customer segments such as the industrial IoT market and public safety authorities. We are proud to team up with Ukkoverkot in its network modernization to ensure these customers can benefit from first-class network quality, and to prepare them for the services enabled by future 5G networks."

About the solution

• Solution includes Nokia's LTE 450, deployed for the first time in Finland
• Nokia's TD-LTE 2600 and Nokia Compact Network solutions 
• Nokia FastMile solution combining a specific fixed wireless radio antenna topology solution with interference mitigation techniques, along with an end user home modem that has a high gain, self turning, directional beamforming antenna. These are all installable by using smart phone application for consumers and operator Point of Sale locations to ease and speed the deployment of FastMile to end users and micro-operators anywhere in Finland.
• Nokia FastMile solution provides up to 12X typical coverage area and 3x throughput compared to standard mobile broadband network.
• NetAct Compact virtualized mobile network management system optimized for smaller networks delivers the core capabilities that Nokia NetAct provides for large networks for troubleshooting, assurance, administration, software management and configuration management.

About Nokia
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 virtual reality and digital health, we are shaping the future of technology to transform the human experience. www.nokia.com

About Ukkoverkot
Digitalization is a global megatrend that changes the world permanently. With superfast fiber connections, 5G, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and digitalized services our industrial world is developing faster than ever before. However what is often forgotten, is that all this is actually very local. Every device, machine and person needs be connected for being part of the new world and services. And in some cases even for surviving. And not only connected, but provided with good, reliable and safe connections.

Ukkoverkot was founded for that need. In this industry of generalists, we are committed to provide connections that work anywhere. Connections that rely on our unique network assets that are dedicated for our demanding customers only. We provide solutions that enable the benefits of digitalization for even the most demanding of users, from critical connections to most remote areas. www.ukkoverkot.fi

Media Inquiries:
Nokia
Communications
Phone: +358 10 448 4900
Email: [email protected]

Ukkoverkot
Mikko Uusitalo
Phone: +358 40 455 0480
Email: [email protected]