The Finnish vendor and French telco SFR completed the 5G test at Nokia’s facilities in Paris
Nokia and French telecommunications company SFR confirmed they have successfully completed a 5G call, using the Third Generation Partnership Project-compliant 5G New Radio system over the air on the 3.5 GHz frequency band.
The two companies said that the 5G test took place last week at the Nokia 5G Test Network and Competence Center in Paris-Saclay, France.
The 5G call used Nokia 5G NR technology, including the Nokia 5G-ready AirScale radio platform and Cloud RAN technology together with 3GPP-compliant end user test devices. Nokia also said that a cloud infrastructure based on the Nokia AirFrame Datacenter solution was built to support Cloud RAN.
The 5G New Radio NR standard, agreed upon by the 3GPP in December 2017, is designed to support a wide variety of 5G applications and enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services.
Nokia 5G NR systems use smart antennas to deliver multi-gigabit throughput speeds and millisecond low-latency, enabling operators to increase network capacity in spectrum below 6GHz frequency bands to deliver wide-area coverage, the Nordic vendor said.
“SFR is developing a roadmap for the evolution of its networks that takes into account the benefits and complexity of implementing 5G. The joint projects and trials will enable us to meet future data demand in the most effective way, while exploring new ways to deliver our media content that will increase the subscriber experience,” said François Vincent, head of mobile network at SFR.
“Nokia is pleased to support SFR in accelerating its implementation of 5G and developing new business models that will enrich the user experience. By testing 5G technologies now, we can place SFR ahead of the needs of its data-hungry customers while preparing the operator for the launch of next-generation services,” said Marc Rouanne, president of mobile networks at Nokia.
Sweden aims to auction 5G spectrum in 2018
In related 5G news,Sweden’s Post and Telecom Agency (Post & Telestyrelsen, PTS) said it is planning to auction wireless spectrum licenses for 5G services in the 3.4 GHz-3.8 GHz band next year.
The regulator intends to offer 300 megahertz of frequencies on a nationwide basis, while also reserving a total of 100 megahertz for regional concessions.
The PTS also said that existing licensees in the 3.4 GHz-3.8 GHz band will not have to relinquish their frequencies and reapply for spectrum.
The Swedish regulator is also looking to award 5G mobile licences in the 26.5 GHz-27.5 GHz band, though it is awaiting moves towards the international harmonization of this frequency band before proceeding with the auction.
