Nokia, Rhodes and Schwartz Partnered to Obtain FCC Certification

Nokia and leading network measurement technology provider Rohde&Schwarz announced that Nokia’s drone network solution has been certified by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States. This marks the first comprehensive certification of the local 4G/5G unmanned aerial vehicle integrated solution by the organization. This achievement represents an important step in providing mature industrial grade 4G/5G drone solutions to American customers, aimed at achieving reliable beyond line of sight (BVLOS) operations. Looking ahead, Nokia will leverage its recently announced US private LTE and 5G solution partnership to accelerate its market entry.

With its long history in the telecommunications industry, Nokia prioritizes strong and reliable connectivity in Nokia’s drone network solutions. High resilience connectivity is crucial for remote drone operations, real-time data streams collected during drone missions, and BVLOS operations using a large number of 3GPP frequency bands. Research and development work have pushed boundaries in RF design and connectivity performance. Innovative features such as full network connectivity redundancy, multi operator support, and hot fault transfer also make Nokia’s drone network stand out in terms of operational reliability.
Nokia and Rod&Schwartz initially collaborated in 2022 and signed a memorandum of understanding to embed Rod&Schwartz’s QualiPoc 4.9G/LTE and 5G network measurement capabilities into Nokia’s drone network platform. This is the first of its kind to expand customer use cases, gain a deeper understanding of wireless network coverage and performance, and more effectively utilize their networks.
Expanding cooperation to device testing and certification, Nokia collaborates with Rhodes and Schwartz to meet FCC’s strict requirements for developing component testing. Nokia Bell Labs Global Products and Compliance Laboratory conducted extensive radiation and conducted emission tests using R&S CMX500 wireless communication testers from Rhodes&Schwartz. The rich toolset of R&S CMX500 and flexible web-based R&S CMsquares user interface facilitate comprehensive signaling protocol testing.

Olaf Heisch, Director of Mobile Network Testing for Target Customers at Rhodes&Schwartz, said, “This achievement highlights the transformative power of our wireless communication tester R&S CMX500. Its role in obtaining FCC certification for Nokia’s drone network demonstrates its key position in driving innovation in 5G and drone technology. This collaboration highlights the power of cutting-edge technology and strategic partnerships in shaping the future of the industry.”
Thomas Eder, Director of Embedded Wireless Solutions at Nokia, stated: “This achievement highlights the important role of collaboration and testing in the 5G era. By meeting FCC’s strict standards, we are paving the way for industrial and public sector use cases in the United States, improving monetization of 5G spectrum, and launching drones for BVLOS operation on the 3GPP spectrum nationwide. Nokia has over 675 private wireless customers worldwide and is leading in building national wireless networks, relying on its experience in Nokia has the ability to expand its market leadership position to the United States with certified industrial grade drone solutions.”