Nokia has announced that it has entered into an agreement with Tata Play Fiber to launch India’s first Wi-Fi 6-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 fibre and in-home solutions that can scale in line with evolving end-customer needs.

Nokia will supply Tata Play Fiber with a range of fibre-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) and 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 Wi-Fi 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 artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) software to identify traffic patterns, faults and potential outages in the gigabit passive optical network (GPON) so as to optimise the end user experience.  

Commenting on the agreement, Anand N Sahai, chief executive officer (CEO), Tata Play Fiber, said, “Our partnership with Nokia allows us to bring Wi-Fi 6-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 and coverage for multiple smart gadgets in all tech-dependent homes and enterprises.”

Meanwhile, Vinish Bawa, head, enterprise, Webscale and Emerging business, Nokia, India,  said, “Nokia has been the world leader in 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 Wi-Fi 6 ready.”