Nokia announced that it is working with U.S. Cellular to boost capacity in several markets, including the Northwest Region of the U.S., impacted by COVID-19.
U.S. Cellular and Nokia are helping protect customers from malware related to the pandemic aimed at stealing personal data.

FCC has granted a 60-day temporary spectrum license to U.S. Cellular and other service providers across the country.

Nokia and U.S. Cellular have deployed this additional spectrum to boost connectivity for U.S. Cellular customers in markets impacted by COVID-19.

The temporary spectrum, which is licensed to Advantage Spectrum in the AWS-3 Band, was integrated remotely on Nokia Airscale Radio Access Network (RAN), bringing increased network capacity to 250 sites in parts of California, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin.

U.S. Cellular is relying on Nokia’s Endpoint Security solutions to detect new and established forms of malware related to COVID-19.

Nokia’s NetGuard Endpoint Security allows service providers to detect malware across multiple device types and act proactively to minimize its impact. The solution gives U.S. Cellular visibility into exactly which of their customers’ devices are affected, the specific type of malware being downloaded, and the malware’s threat level so their security operations and customer care staff can act accordingly.

“Their latest assistance in helping us launch this additional spectrum enables us to continue delivering our customers a fast, rich and uninterrupted network experience throughout this critical time,” Mike Irizarry, chief technology officer of U.S. Cellular, said in a statement.