Multi-dwelling units with coaxial cables are often challenging to connect to fiber internet but, according to Nokia, a new solution that allows muti-gigabit services to be delivered through coaxial cables will change all that.

Nokia announced the launch of their new Gigabit Connect solution this week and said it “allows operators to easily combine fiber and MoCA Access to connect subscribers in MDUs.”

MoCA Access is described as a high-performance multi-gigabit fiber internet access connectivity standard, which is capable of data rates of 2.5 Gbps, according to the Multimedia over Coax Alliance.

“Solutions like MoCA, are going to play an important role in helping operators connect customers to gigabit speeds in difficult to reach buildings,” said Geert Heyninck, Nokia’s vice president of broadband networks for fixed networks, in comments that were included with the company’s Dec. 5 announcement.

Nokia’s MoCA access solution connects to FTTH networks and uses an MDU’s existing coax, and is managed as a single system, Nokia’s announcement about the MDU solution stated.

Heyninck said the addition of MoCA to Nokia’s Gigabit Connect solution enables cable operators to move fiber faster to locations that are too difficult or expensive to run with fiber.

“The integration also makes it easy to operate since both the FTTH and MoCA can be managed as a single network,” he said.

The company’s announcement said their MDU solution also allows for coexistence with legacy services, including terrestrial, satellite and cable TV.

Nokia’s announcement said fiber installation in MDUs often requires significant construction work and coordination with building owners and tenants. The company said the process is often complex and costly.

“In older MDUs, cable routing and structural access may make fiber installation impossible,” the company’s announcement said.

Nokia said their Gigabit Connect MoCA solution will be capable of delivering 2Gbps speeds with low latency.

In the company’s Dec. 5 announcement, Nokia explained the solution will be managed “as a single pane of glass through Nokia’s Altiplano Access Controller.”

Jeff Heynen, who serves as Dell’Oro’s vice president of broadband access and home networking, said “MoCA is an easy and cost-effective method” to offer service to customers in MDUs that don’t have fiber.

“With the addition of MoCA to their industry-leading Gigabit Connect solution, Nokia is clearly committed to helping its customers maximize the reach and revenue potential of their FTTH networks,” he stated, according to Nokia’s announcement.

InCoax Networks, based in Sweden, announced a formalization of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nokia on the same day Nokia announced the launch of their MDU solution.

The announcement from InCoax said the MoU “signifies the initiation of a collaboration between the two companies with the goal of seamlessly integrating InCoax’s products and solutions into Nokia’s existing end-to-end broadband access solution.”

Jörgen Ekengren, the CEO of InCoax Networks, said he has confidence that InCoax solutions will become an integral part of Nokia’s offerings.

“The expectation is that this collaboration will lead to a long and mutually rewarding business relationship,” he said in comments that were included with InCoax’s Dec. 5 announcement.