MTS, Russia’s largest mobile operator recently launched a 5G pilot zone in Moscow together with the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech).
The new network is aimed at accelerating local innovation of cutting-edge 5G solutions and will provide coverage in the 4.9GHz band thanks to a base station featuring software developed at Skoltech that supports the international OpenRAN standard.
With the support of the Skolkovo Foundation, the joint MTS-Skoltech network aims to provide Russian developers an accessible platform to build next-generation industrial automation solutions, as well as hardware and software suites based on the OpenRAN architecture.
The new joint project with Skoltech is the latest in MTS’s series of 5G pilot zones in Russia, including additional sites in Moscow, Siberia, and outside St. Petersburg.
Dmitry Khalin, MTS VP for Cloud & Digital Solutions
The launch of this 5G zone is a further step forward in our long history of joint R&D with Skoltech and Skolkovo resident companies. MTS is at the leading edge of connectivity, operating multiple R&D centers as well as a 5G lab and startup accelerator.
Dmitry Lakontsev, Head of the Skoltech-based NTI Center of Excellence in Wireless & IoT Technologies
The joint MTS-Skoltech 5G network is the next phase in the local development of telecom infrastructure. We developed the base station providing coverage at our institute around the advanced OpenRAN architecture.
