Telia Company has launched a pre-commercial 5G network in Helsinki with the goal to start commercial services in the beginning of next year.
The 5G network operates on test frequencies issued by the Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority.
The first base stations are now operational in Helsinki, and the first phase of the roll-out will continue during the autumn. Full-scale commercial operation will be possible in 2019, after the 3,5 GHz 5G frequency auction has been conducted in Finland. 5G growth is also dependent on availability of standard-compliant 5G devices, like modems, tablets and mobile phones by terminal manufacturers, said Telia Company.
Telia Company added that its 5G program has proceeded to a point where all 5G network components are available, from 3GPP specification-based radio access to high capacity IP networks, virtualized core and the massive computing capacity offered by Telia Helsinki Data Center.
Jari Collin, CTO, Telia Finland
For two years we have prepared for 5G with demos and trials. We set up the 5G Finland cooperation network to create and pilot 5G services with our partners, and now we can continue exploring the possibilities of 5G in a real live network.
Jan Lindgren, Head of Telia Customer Team, Nokia
We are pleased to begin the deployment of the first 5G base stations in Finland – the Nokia AirScale radio access - and we will continue working with Telia Company to identify the technologies and services that meet the demands of consumers and industries in the 5G era.
