Australian mobile carrier Optus has paired with network vendor Nokia to give regional areas of the country a 5G upgrade.

Optus will deploy Nokia's Habrok Massive MIMO radios and Levante baseband solutions as part of the partnership.

Both products are part of Nokia's AirScale offering.

The upgrades to Optus' network are part of the company's Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) RAN-sharing agreement made with TPG Telecom last year.

According to Nokia, its Habrok 32 MIMO radios can offer a 33 percent boost in output power, enabling greater coverage and capacity while reducing power consumption.

Nokia notes that radios are both flexible and easy to install, making them ideal for new deployments and site modernization.

The Habrok radios also feature an 'Extreme Deep Sleep' power-saving mode, meaning that Optus will be able to switch off unused resources, which reduces radio cell energy consumption.

Nokia's AI-ready Levante baseband products will also enable the company to support increased traffic growth and extended AI workloads. 

“Our deployment with Nokia’s new Habrok massive MIMO radio and new Levante and Ponente baseband modules marks an important step in meeting the growing demand from our customers for enhanced connectivity in Australia’s regional areas," said Kent Wu, Optus' vice president of access network strategy, planning, and quality.

"The Habrok 32 massive MIMO radios bring the right balance of performance and cost efficiency for upgrading our 5G network to elevate consumer experiences and drive business productivity. Through this partnership, we are expanding our reach for customers and bringing them high-speed, reliable connectivity to more customers, communities, and enterprises."

Optus launched its 5G network in 2019 with Nokia's Nordic rival Ericsson. The carrier is the second-largest in Australia, with more than 11 million mobile subscribers.