Taiwanese carrier Chunghwa Telecom selected Ericsson and Nokia as 5G RAN vendors, as the telco plans to launch commercial 5G service in July based on the non-standalone (NSA) architecture.
The operator will run the next-generation mobile service on the 3.5 GHz and 28 GHz bands.
In a release, Ericsson said that Chunghwa Telecom will use the vendor’s Radio System base stations and Ericsson’s 5G Core, including its 5G Evolved Packet Core.
Ericsson will also provide the fronthaul and IP backhaul transport solution using Fronthaul 6000 and Router 6000 products to support C-RAN architecture.
Max Chen, president of the Mobile Business Group for Chunghwa Telecom, said: “In the process of upgrading to 5G networks, we need to shorten the time it takes to launch new features. Ericsson’s 5G core solution enables our 4G core to flexibly evolve into a shared 4G/5G network.”
Ericsson’s 5G platform for CHT will include Ericsson Radio System base stations that will operate on 3.5 GHz for the mid-band and 28 GHz for the high band. The 5G solution will also include active antenna products while supporting beam-forming functions that reduce wireless signal interference and improve 5G speed, the vendor said.
Ericsson added that its spectrum sharing solution will allow Chunghwa Telecom to make full use of spectrum resources to accelerate 5G network coverage and promote the smooth transition of the network to 5G.
Meanwhile, Nokia said that it has been selected to leverage Chunghwa Telecom’s existing LTE install base and spectrum resources to launch 5G non-standalone (NSA) involving multiple bands, paving the way for the launch of 5G via a standalone architecture in the near future.
“Our technology will assist Chunghwa Telecom in its early launch of 5G services in Taiwan, while also allowing it to explore new revenue generators across consumer and enterprise markets,” said Tommi Uitto, president of Mobile Networks at Nokia. “As one of the pioneering members of Chunghwa Telecom’s Taiwan 5G Alliance, we will jointly promote the digital transformation for public and private sectors to accelerate 5G momentum in Taiwan.”
Chunghwa Telecom paid TWD45.7 billion ($1.51 billion) for 90MHz of spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band and TWD618 million for 600 megahertz of 28 GHz spectrum in an auction held in January.
Earlier this week, Taiwanese mobile operator Far EasTone (FET) selected Ericsson to be its 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) vendor in a deal that will span all of FET’s spectrum assets in the low, mid and high bands.
FET’s first commercial 5G services will be in the 3.5 GHz band and are expected to be launched sometime this summer.
FET had secured 80 MHZ of 3.5 GHz spectrum for TWD 40.6 billion and 400 MHz in the 28 GHz band for TWD 412 million.
