Nokia Solutions and Networks, a multinational data networking and telecommunications equipment company headquartered in Finland, has come up with six improvements for its radio access network, Single RAN Advanced, so that operators can simplify their radio access networks and management functions, LteWorld has reported. The company says that this means fewer boxes, less cabling, faster installation, simpler operations and more efficient spectrum use, bringing considerable savings.

Single RAN supports GSM, WCDMA and LTE deployments and this new Single RAN Advanced is available for three types of software, making it easy to build, operate and maintain NSN\'s Single RAN Advanced networks. A Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Station 6 x 60-W radio frequency module allows for a compact three-sector site with LTE MIMO 2x2 with just one radio frequency (RF) hardware unit, instead of two 3-pipe modules. This way, operators can now deploy 1800 MHz LTE/GSM refarming and RF sharing with just half the number of modules.

NSN has added an expansion sub-module for increasing RF connectivity of the Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Station, which supports three times more RF ports than earlier models, allowing operators to meet their refarming and RF sharing needs with less hardware. In addition, Smart Dual Beam (SDB) software for a Liquid Radio GSM Software Suite provides a new way to build three-sector GSM sites, allowing operators to benefit from 50 percent more GSM capacity in their existing spectrum and base station sites, or 20 percent more spectrum for HSPA/LTE deployments.

The Common Base Station Operations, Administration, and Maintenance, supported by NSN\'s NetAct 8 for sites with GSM, WCDMA and LTE base stations replaces three separate entities with one, making it simpler to build, operate and maintain base station sites. In addition, NSN has improved its common IP backhaul solution with a new single transport function to support single site deployments. On the transport layer, GSM, WCDMA and LTE base station sites can now appear as one IP host, improving flexibility in IP addressing, QoS and IP security, and simplifying the IP transport backhaul implementation and maintenance process.