TPG Telecom has deployed Nokia’s 5G Interleaved Passive Active Antenna (IPAA) at a TPG Telecom site in Brisbane.

The Twin Beam version of Nokia’s IPAA delivers both 5G capability and  increases the capacity of 3G, 4G and 5G deployed on existing mid band frequencies through advanced antenna technology. Nokia’s IPAA solution has been developed in collaboration with CommScope.

This means operators will have the ability to add 5G to an existing site without increasing the number or the size of the existing antennas on the site. It also doubles the range and greatly increases the capacity of all technologies deployed on existing mid band (e.g. 1800, 2100 and 2600 MHz) frequencies by up to 80 percent.

Nokia’s IPAA solution will allow operators such as TPG Telecom to upgrade existing sites to 5G by simply replacing their existing antennas with a similar sized unit that supports all legacy technologies as well as 5G massive MIMO active antenna.

Barry Kezik, Executive General Manager of Mobile and Fixed Networks at TPG Telecom, said: “The Twin Beam IPAA will help expand our 5G coverage, helping us achieve our goal of reaching 85 percent of the population in Australia’s top six cities by the end of the year.”

Robert Joyce, Chief Technology Officer at Nokia Oceania, said: “This new variant of the IPAA allows operators to increase coverage, capacity and capability to all of their customers – 3G, 4G or 5G – through a quick and simple upgrade of an existing site.”