
Broadband for
the future now
Create a future-proof rural broadband network that connects more people, more quickly, and more profitably than ever before
The rural broadband imperative
Rural broadband services are essential to America’s economic future. That’s why the US government is providing rural broadband grant programs and funding opportunities to connect communities and enable a sustainable gigabit future for all Americans.
The digital divide exists everywhere that the costs of building broadband infrastructure are higher than the revenues that can be earned, hitting rural and low-income communities the hardest. COVID-19 demonstrated the vital role that broadband plays and cast a spotlight on this problem. Without reliable broadband access, rural Americans can't take advantage of remote work, telehealth appointments or online schooling. Community-based businesses struggle to keep up with the movement towards digital transformation and Industry 4.0.
Rural broadband funding
The US government is providing unprecedented rural broadband funding
Government subsidies for telecommunications are nothing new. The US government has had subsidies in place for decades to bring phone services and early internet access to rural areas. What’s new is the scale of the investment – $100 billion in broadband infrastructure money – and the broadband speeds that this new infrastructure can bring to unserved and underserved communities. Nokia is tracking these programs to help operators navigate the many programs that are in place. You can find out more on our U.S. Broadband Infrastructure Funding website.
Build a partner ecosystem
There’s immense opportunity in rural broadband, and now is the time to seize it. But because there is so much more to this than deploying a network, Nokia has built an ecosystem of partners to educate, prepare and support you throughout with specialist skillsets and resources.
Writing a successful grant request
Successful grant applications for funding programs require comprehensive data analysis of the proposed service area.
Our partner, Broadband.money provides geospatial insights, predictive analytics, business intelligence, broadband grant templates and empirical data in a collaborative, and easy-to-use interface.
You’ll need details of the equipment that will be used and the costs to complete your business case. Through Nokia’s partnership with Broadband.money, you will have access to blueprint network designs and equipment planning tools from Nokia, hugely simplifying the grant application process.
Please consult the Broadband.money platform to see how rural broadband service providers can connect unserved and underserved communities.
Building the network
Acquiring equipment in a resource constrained marketplace can be a challenge. That’s why Nokia created the network in a box concept. Now, you can get the network equipment that you need to complete the network buildout on time with quality. We’ve extended the concept to our partner Wesco who is carrying stock of Nokia Fiber OLTs, ONTs and Wi-Fi beacons. Of course, network equipment is only a piece of the puzzle, so the partner program also includes passive elements from Corning. Our work doesn’t stop there: Nokia brings fiber services expertise and other regional entities that can work in unison to help you build a winning plan and deliver on time.
Keeping the broadband engine running
The government’s making a huge investment and we owe it to our rural communities to build networks that secure their broadband future now. It starts with building fiber infrastructure. As the most future-proof and greenest way of bringing high-speed broadband to the masses, there is a strong desire from broadband operators
and governments to switch out legacy infrastructure for fiber. And fiber infrastructure can serve your community’s needs today, easily evolve as needed from GPON to XGS-PON to 25G PON (all available from Nokia), serving the needs of your communities for 50+ years. The result of this technology evolution is that you can use fiber for everything.

Why should you consider Nokia rural broadband solutions?
Our broadband fiber solution lets you bring multi-gigabit access services to rural communities in under-served areas, allowing them to extend voice, data, IPTV and smart-meter communications services to every home and business.
Our fixed-wireless access (FWA) solution complements fiber infrastructure by enabling you to cost-effectively reach widely dispersed homes in rural areas and realize aggressive rollout schedules.
Nokia as your partner
With Nokia as your partner, you can effectively navigate the rural broadband opportunity and build a deployment plan that will serve you well into the future. We have helped service providers in the US use their infrastructure to offer innovative new broadband services. We can provide you with planning, guidance, solutions and trusted expertise to help you offer new carrier-grade broadband services while improving the reliability and effectiveness of your grid communications network.
Partner with the leading communications infrastructure provider
- #1 market share in GPON in North America
- #1 market share in XGS-PON worldwide
- Member of Fiber Broadband Association and NRECA

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