Finnish operator Elisa said its 5G network already reached over 100 locations across the country, covering half of Finland’s population.
During the first months of the year, Elisa’s 5G network was expanded in various parts of Finland. Recently, the construction of new mobile technology has begun in Tornio, Suonenjoki, Alavus, Laihia and numerous other places, the telco said in a release.
Even before the latest network expansions, an independent study found that Elisa’s 5G network was the most comprehensive in Finland
In the capital, Helsinki, Elisa’s 5G network already reaches 90% of the city’s population. In Oulu, more than 80% of the population is covered by Elisa’s 5G network. In Turku, Seinäjoki and Tampere, 5G reaches nearly 70% of the population, while the population coverage percentage is almost 80% in Ylivieska, Pietarsaari, Kemi and Hyvinkää.
In September 2020, Elisa announced new 5G agreements with Nordic vendors Ericsson and Nokia.
Ericsson was selected for a comprehensive 5G technology deployment spanning 5G Core and 5G Radio Access Network (RAN). The agreement included both 5G Non-standalone (5G NSA) and 5G Standalone (5G SA) products and solutions.
Ericsson Cloud Packet Core products and solutions were already live in Elisa’s 5G network. As part of the partnership extension, Ericsson said it was deploying its dual-mode 5G Core solution to add support for standalone technology in Elisa’s network, which operates on 3.5 GHz and 26 GHz frequency bands. Ericsson Spectrum Sharing for both 5G Standalone and 5G Non-Standalone are also being deployed as part of the deal.
Nokia was also selected by Elisa as a nationwide supplier of 5G RAN equipment, providing its AirScale 5G Radio Access portfolio for enhanced mobile connectivity, as well as additional use cases such as Massive IoT and Ultra-Reliable Low Latency services (URLLC).
Elisa initially launched its commercial 5G network in 2019 and now offers this technology in several cities across Finland.
In related news, Elisa said that the Port of HaminaKotka is currently testing Elisa’s 5G private network. Companies operating in the port area use the network to test services that develop the port’s logistics, occupational safety and ecology, among other things.
“Thanks to its reliability, the private network is well suited for controlling critical port services such as logistics. 5G’s high data transfer capacity and short latency also enable new types of wireless services, such as remote control, real-time snapshot of port operations and the utilization of high-quality video,” said Eetu Prieur , Elisa’s business director for mobile solutions.
“There is a need for a reliable wireless network in the port. We are therefore examining whether traditional fixed network connections can be replaced by a 5G private network. In the 5G private network located in the port of Mussalo, we are trying out technologies that make the port’s operations more efficient and improve security,” said project manager Jonne Holmén from Xamk.
In February, Elisa started a private network cooperation with Nokia, with the aim of helping Finnish companies utilize the latest mobile technologies and develop more advanced digital services.
