Sweden concluded a 5G spectrum auction this week
Swedish operator Tele2 upgraded 5G services in over 30 Swedish locations enabling the carrier to provide access speeds of 1 Gbps, the telco said in a release.
Tele2’s and Telenor’s joint network company Net4Mobility secured important spectrum in the Swedish spectrum auction which was completed earlier this week.
In the release, Tele2 said it was the first company to launch 5G in Sweden. The operator noted that its 5G network continued to be rolled out during the autumn, reaching more than 30 cities across Sweden, where Tele2 has provided services with speeds of around 500 Mbps. Following the concluded 5G auction, Tele2 said it is now in a position to provide its customers with speeds of over 1 Gbps in these cities.
“We are now upgrading the capacity of our 5G services and providing more customers with the opportunity to reach speeds of over 1 Gbit per second. This is the starting point for smarter societies and companies, as well as better experiences for consumers. 5G is simply the technology of the future”, said Björn Lindberg, network expert at Tele2.
Some of the cities where Tele2 upgraded its 5G network with the new spectrum includes Stockholm, Gävle, Eskilstuna, Karlskoga, Luleå, Norrköping, Mariefred, Uppsala, Motala, Västerås, Piteå, Örebro, Rättvik, Boden, Sandviken and Norrtälje.
Consumers with Tele2 subscriptions of 25GB, 50GB or Unlimited, or Tele2 Business subscriptions, and a 5G compatible phone from Samsung, Apple, Xiaomi, Sony or Huawei, can use Tele2’s 5G network at no extra cost.
“The expansion of our 5G network now continues with the ambition that over 99% of Sweden’s population will have access to 5G within three years”, Björn Lindberg added.
Founded in 2009, Net4Mobility is a joint venture between Telenor Sweden and Tele2 Sweden, with the mission to build, own and operate a nationwide mobile network.
The combined 4G and 2G network covers 99% of the Swedish population and enables Telenor and Tele2 to offer their customers data and voice services.
This week, the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS) completed a 5G spectrum auction through which it awarded frequencies to the country’s main operators.
In a statement, the regulator said that the total auction proceeds amount to SEK2.31 billion ($270 million).
PTS noted all 320 megahertz at 3.5 GHz was assigned, with Telia securing 120 megahertz for SEK760.2 million; Net4Mobility (a joint initiative by Tele2 and Telenor’s local units) 100 megahertz for SEK665.5 million; and Hi3G 100 megahertz for SEK491.2 million.
Meanwhile, Teracom Group took all 80 megahertz on offer in the 2.3GHz band for a total of SEK400 million, PTS said.
