Black Box, a global leader in delivering innovative communication and technology solutions, announced today that, following extensive research and coordination with Nokia and Corning Incorporated, the company has successfully tested and verified interoperability. This achievement enables the economical implementation of both carrier signals and private 4G/5G wireless services over a single distributed antenna system (DAS). Through this new technology partnership, Black Box successfully integrated the Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) private wireless solution as a signal source for the Corning Everon DAS system, effectively uniting private and commercial wireless networks on the same infrastructure.
“We initiated this integration as part of the Black Box wireless technology offering, and we’re proud to have collaborated with Nokia and Corning to successfully test its compatibility,” said Black Box Wireless Technology global practice head Manu Singh. “Leveraging our integration expertise and these partners’ advanced technologies, we’re able to offer a solution that brings value to customers across various markets and applications.”
Eliminating the necessity of deploying separate infrastructure for Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS)-based private networks and public cellular services, the integration spearheaded by Black Box significantly reduces both the cost and complexity associated with maintaining connectivity across various sectors, such as healthcare, manufacturing, transportation, and the hospitality industry. With this capability, facilities and organisations can assure critical mobility, bolster mission-critical communications, implement new IoT solutions, fully exploit smart manufacturing and automation, and fortify data security measures.
The new integration leverages Nokia DAC private wireless, a plug-and-play LTE and 5G as a service solution renowned for its capability to support demanding use cases and applications. With reliable high-capacity and low-latency wireless connectivity, Nokia DAC ensures business-critical performance. Moreover, Nokia DAC accommodates Wi-Fi to address the connectivity needs of non-business-critical operational technology (OT) applications and can leverage MX Boost technology to combine private wireless with Wi-Fi and get improved capacity and reliability.
“Through this collaboration, Nokia is supporting Black Box in the next step in its Industry 4.0 journey, and doing so in a more cost- and time-efficient way. By integrating the plug-and-play Nokia Digital Automation Cloud, Black Box can seamlessly connect the OT and Wi-Fi infrastructure it already has in place in its facilities, future-proofing it with a high-capacity and low-latency private 5G foundation,” said Nokia Global Partner Enterprise Campus Edge Business Head Pri Rawal.
Another vital component of this integration is the Corning Everon 6200 DAS, which offers exceptional performance, limitless capacity, and high speed. Not only does it guarantee coverage to every space within a facility, but it also streamlines installation and offers versatility and flexibility for both indoor and outdoor designs. The Everon 6200 DAS is a highly flexible platform with multiband support, built to serve the public access spectrum while seamlessly supporting the technical requirements of a CBRS-based private network over a fibre-to-the-edge active DAS distribution solution.
“Corning is pleased to work alongside fellow industry innovators and to play a significant role in this telecommunications milestone. By reconciling private and commercial wireless networks on shared infrastructure, Corning, in collaboration with Black Box and Nokia, is not only paving the way for more cost-effective and efficient connectivity but also spearheading a new era of unified wireless technology,” said Corning Optical Communications Vice-President of Wireless Technology David Meis. “Corning is committed to moving the world forward with every connection.”
Further details about Black Box and the company’s solutions and services are available via Black Box’s website.