Ericsson and Vodafone have launched what they claim is the first commercial 5G network in Ireland.
Vodafone initially launched 5G services in the cities of Cork, Limerick, Dublin, Galway and Waterford. The partners said they will continue expanding this 5G network throughout the country over the coming months.
Using Baseband 6630 and AIR 6488 products from the Ericsson Radio System portfolio, Vodafone Ireland has activated the network over their recently acquired 5G spectrum.
John Griffin, Managing Director of Ericsson Ireland said: “We work closely with our customers to be at the forefront of technology and we were the first to support the launch every generation of mobile technology in Ireland. We are therefore proud to support the first 5G launch, too.”
“5G is set to revolutionize how we use and adopt technology and will have a huge impact on businesses and society in Ireland. It will bring high speed, ultra-low latency and highly secure connectivity to a massive amount of devices; and is a technology that will unlock a vast array of new use cases through Vodafone’s next-generation network,” said Anne O’Leary, CEO of Vodafone Ireland.
Vodafone Ireland also announced that the first 5G devices available for customers will be the Huawei’s Mate 20X 5G and Samsung’s S10 5G.
Rival operators Eir and Three are expected to launch commercial 5G services in Ireland before the end of the year, according to previous reports.
In related 5G news, Ericsson and Tele2 have recently launched what the companies say is Russia’s first 5G zone, in central Moscow on Tele2’s commercial network.
The vendor said that the outdoor 5G coverage is live in Tverskaya Street, the busiest part of the Russian capital.
Ericsson highlighted that the 5G area is ready for demos exploring the opportunities of 5G, including immersive VR entertainment, smart buildings and other consumer and industrial use cases.
The 5G pilot zone is deployed in the 28 GHz band in non-Standalone (NSA) mode, the frequency band for anchor LTE band is Band 7 (2600 MHz), and the 5G pocket routers supporting 28 GHz are used as end-user devices for mobile broadband services with ultra-high speeds.
Sergey Emdin, Tele2 Russia CEO, said: “The 5G era in Russia has already come – from tests and laboratory trials, we are moving to operating the technology on a commercial network. In the near future, Muscovites will be able to see for themselves what 5G will bring to the daily life, entertainment and development of smart city.”
Tele2 and Ericsson signed an agreement to deploy 5G technologies in Russia at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona earlier this year. Under the terms of the agreement, more than 50,000 base stations will be deployed across the country as part of a five-year network modernization deal. The partners also signed a memorandum of agreement to launch a joint 5G trial zone in Moscow at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum held last June.
At a global level, the Swedish vendor has already publicly announced 24 wins in the 5G segment. 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.
