Elve & Nokia Shatter Wireless Limits with 10x Power Boost

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – March 20, 2026 – In a move that signals a seismic shift in telecommunications, startup Elve and industry giant Nokia have successfully demonstrated a new wireless transmission capability that promises to redefine the boundaries of high-speed connectivity. The industry-first test achieved a staggering tenfold increase in transmit power for E-band cellular backhaul, paving the way for robust 6G networks and finally bridging the digital divide in remote regions.

The demonstration combined Elve's innovative Vermillion Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier (TWTA) with Nokia's commercially available Wavence UBT-m point-to-point radios. The result was a full-duplex, bi-directional link that maintained a blistering data rate of 10 Gbps while transmitting with over ten times the power of the most powerful millimeter-wave (mmWave) radios on the market today. This leap in power directly addresses the fundamental physics problem that has long constrained mmWave technology.

Overcoming the Millimeter-Wave Hurdle

The E-band spectrum (ranging from 71-86 GHz) has been a cornerstone for 5G, offering vast bandwidth for fiber-like speeds without the immense cost and time of laying physical cables. However, these high-frequency signals have an Achilles' heel: they suffer from high path loss, meaning they weaken rapidly over distance and are easily blocked by obstacles like buildings, foliage, and even heavy rain. This has historically limited their effective range to just a few kilometers, requiring dense and complex network deployments.

Enter Elve's TWTA technology. Traveling Wave Tube Amplifiers are a type of vacuum tube technology known for providing significant power amplification over wide frequency ranges. While TWTAs have been staples in satellite and defense applications, Elve, a California-based company backed by investors like Lockheed Martin Ventures, has focused on innovating the technology for high-volume, scalable manufacturing. By miniaturizing and enhancing the efficiency of TWTAs for terrestrial networks, they have unlocked a new level of power for mmWave systems.

This power surge fundamentally changes the equation for network planning. A tenfold increase in transmit power doesn't just mean a marginal improvement; it translates to significantly longer link distances and greater link reliability in adverse weather conditions. For network operators, this could mean fewer hops between towers, simpler network topologies, and a much stronger business case for extending high-capacity backhaul into challenging terrain where it was previously unfeasible.

A Strategic Alliance to Build the Future

The collaboration is a classic tale of a disruptive startup joining forces with an established market leader. Elve, founded in 2020, brings the core technological innovation and agility. Nokia, a global force in telecommunications infrastructure, provides the market-ready radio platform, global scale, and deep integration expertise needed to turn a proof of concept into a worldwide solution.

This partnership allows Nokia to supercharge its existing Wavence portfolio, giving it a distinct competitive advantage against rivals like Ericsson and Huawei in the race to provide the ultra-high-capacity backhaul required for 5G-Advanced and future 6G networks.

Giuseppe Targia, General Manager of the Nokia Microwave Business Group, emphasized the importance of the achievement. “Our successful proof of concept with Elve, which significantly boosts the performance of our Nokia Wavence UBT-m radios, represents a crucial step toward achieving extreme wireless transport capabilities in E-band technology,” he stated. “We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Elve to further advance the limits of both E-band and D-band radio solutions.”

For Elve, the partnership provides a massive channel to market and validation from one of the industry's most respected players. “Elve was built to unlock access to mmWave power at scale, enabling higher data rates wirelessly for space and terrestrial applications,” said Diana Gamzina, Founder and CEO of Elve. “The team at Elve is proud of this joint, first-ever technology demonstration achieved with Nokia, one of the leading visionary cellular equipment providers.”

Connecting the Unconnected and Powering 6G

The implications of this breakthrough extend far beyond technical specifications. The ability to project high-capacity wireless links over longer distances has profound societal and economic potential. For years, the high cost of deploying fiber has left many rural and remote communities on the wrong side of the digital divide. This enhanced E-band solution presents a cost-effective and rapidly deployable alternative, capable of delivering multi-gigabit speeds for homes, schools, and businesses.

Furthermore, the technology is a critical enabler for emergency response. In the wake of natural disasters that can sever terrestrial fiber optic cables, high-power microwave links can be deployed in hours, restoring critical cellular connectivity for first responders and affected populations.

Looking ahead, the insatiable demand for data driven by immersive technologies, AI, and the Internet of Things will require a network infrastructure far more powerful than what exists today. The vision for 6G involves a seamless fabric of connectivity with unprecedented capacity and near-zero latency. Achieving this vision depends on a robust and scalable backhaul network capable of supporting trillions of devices. The powerful, long-range wireless links made possible by this technology are not just an improvement—they are a foundational building block for that 6G future, promising to finally deliver on the dream of ubiquitous, high-speed connectivity for everyone, everywhere.