Nokia has been selected by Telia Company as the exclusive provider of 5G RAN in Finland in a five-year deal that includes the modernization of legacy networks and will cover 7,500 sites.
Nokia is a long-standing strategic partner to Telia Company and has also been chosen as the supplier of 5G standalone (SA) core in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden in the Nordic and Baltic regions.
Nokia will supply Telia with its AirScale portfolio including 5G RAN, AirScale base stations and Nokia AirScale radio access products. The deal will see the modernization of existing radio networks, as well as the rollout of 5G in Finland.
Nokia is the incumbent radio provider for Telia Finland, as well as providing its 5G non-standalone cloud-native core for all countries. These solutions at the heart of the networks will enable Telia to build on its existing leadership position and deliver incredible connectivity and capacity benefits to its consumer and business subscribers.
Nokia’s 5G core and Cloud Packet Core (CPC) portfolios will also supply Telia with a 5G SA core network, an expansion of the current core network from Nokia. Building upon Telia’s existing Control/User Plane Separation (CUPS) core network architecture, Nokia’s CPC’s appliance solution will be used in the 5G SA user plane, making it highly scalable.
Nokia’s core solution allows Telia to build a unified core network offering quad-access (2/3/4/5G) services for a seamless experience to their subscribers.
Telia opened the first pre-commercial 5G networks in Helsinki, Vantaa and Oulu in Finland in September 2018 together with Nokia. The commercial network was opened at the beginning of 2019, and the accelerated roll-out has continued to 42 cities in Finland, with a population coverage of over 25 percent.
Allison Kirkby, President and CEO of Telia Company, says:
“Our networks have never been more important and are the foundation of a thriving digital economy. Nokia is our sole supplier of 5G standalone core in all markets and of radio network technology in Finland. We share a long history of close collaboration with Nokia, particularly in Finland, and I look forward to continuing this partnership by delivering the best network for our subscribers.”
Pekka Lundmark, President and CEO, Nokia, added:
“We are delighted to extend our long-standing partnership with Telia Company. For over half a century we have worked with Telia to deliver best-in-class connectivity – now that continues into the 5G era, as we supply Telia’s RAN technology in Finland and its core 5G network across the Nordic and Baltic nations. I look forward to continuing our close collaboration with Telia for years to come.”
