Ericsson said it has been selected by Orange France to deploy its 5G Radio Access Network in three major French regions, including Paris, and modernize its existing 2G/3G/4G radio access network.
As part of the agreement, Ericsson 5G RAN products and solutions from the Ericsson Radio System portfolio will be deployed in the Orange network in the northeast, southwest and Ile de France/Paris regions of France. The five-year deal will make Ericsson the major RAN provider to Orange France, the vendor said in a release.
Ericsson also said that the agreement includes maintenance and deployment services.
Orange France aims to launch 5G services when the frequencies are made available during 2020.
Fabienne Dulac, deputy CEO of Orange Group and CEO of Orange France, said: “For Orange, the deployment of 5G represents a huge challenge and is one of the main priorities of our Engage 2025 strategic plan. We are delighted to be pursuing our partnership with Ericsson, a key long-term partner, in order to develop a powerful and innovative 5G network. 5G will enable the development of new use-cases and new services, and will provide an enriched experience for our customers – both in the consumer and business segments. Through this agreement, Orange reaffirms its ambition to being network leader.”
“In addition to incredible new mobile broadband experiences for mobile customers, 5G is set to transform business, industry and society across France. We will work in close partnership with Orange France to make this a reality and bring the benefits of 5G to its customers. Today’s milestone in France is also significant to Ericsson’s engagement with Orange, a major worldwide partner,” said Arun Bansal, Ericsson’s president for Europe and Latin America.
With this new agreement, Ericsson now has 80 commercial 5G agreements and contracts with unique operators, of which 34 are publicly announced 5G deals, including 24 live 5G networks on four continents. Some key customers include AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile US, US Cellular, Verizon, Swisscom, TDC, Telenor, Vodafone UK, Wind, Etisalat, Optus, Ooredoo, STC, KT, SK Telecom and Telstra.
Orange France also recently selected Nokia to evolve its mobile access network towards 5G technology.
Under the terms of this recent deal, Nokia will provide Orange, for a broad part of France, with a range of products and services from its end-to-end 5G portfolio, including Single Radio Access Network (RAN) technology, advanced automation tools, a network management solution and associated professional services.
Nokia will initially support Orange’s 5G commercial launch by enabling the rollout of its SRAN network to 5G through software upgrades. It will also introduce 5G New Radio (5G NR)-based AirScale hardware, and software for the new 5G frequency bands.
French telecom regulator Arcep recently said that it is ready to conduct the allocation procedure of frequencies in the 3.4 GHz to 3.8 GHz band, so that the first commercially available 5G services can be launched in 2020.
The regulator’s head Sebastien Soriano previously told French newspaper Le Figaro that the 5G auction would likely take place in April 2020.
