Nokia's new 5G deal with Telia Company will cover 7,500 sites across Finland

By Dan Oliver
published

Telia has selected Nokia, its long-standing equipment provider in Finland, to implement its 5G RAN and network updates in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden.

Telia Company HQ.
(Image credit: Telia.)

Telia Company is a Swedish mobile network operator that serves Finland, Norway, Denmark, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Sweden. And today it has announced that Nokia has been selected as its exclusive provider of 5G RAN technology in Finland, in a five-year deal that includes the upgrade of legacy networks, and will cover 7,500 sites. 

Nokia is a long-standing strategic partner to Telia Company, and beyond the deal that will see thousands of sites upgraded within Finland, it has also been chosen as the supplier of 5G standalone (SA) core in Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden.

"Nokia is our sole supplier of 5G standalone core in all markets and of radio network technology in Finland."

Allison Kirkby, Telia.

“Our networks have never been more important and are the foundation of a thriving digital economy,” said Allison Kirkby, president and CEO at Telia Company. “Nokia is our sole supplier of 5G standalone core in all markets and of radio network technology in Finland. We share a long history of close collaboration with Nokia, particularly in Finland, and I look forward to continuing this partnership by delivering the best network for our subscribers.”

Renewing a long partnership

Telia opened the first commercial 5G network at the start of 2019, which has now rolled out to 42 cities in Finland, providing a population coverage of more than 25 percent. 

And to upgrade Telia Company’s 5G infrastructure, Nokia will turn to its AirScale portfolio, including 5G RAN, AirScale base stations, and Nokia AirScale radio access products. 

"For over half a century we have worked with Telia to deliver best-in-class connectivity – now that continues into the 5G era."

Pekka Lundmark, Nokia.

“We are delighted to extend our long-standing partnership with Telia Company,” said Pekka Lundmark, president and CEO at Nokia. “For over half a century we have worked with Telia to deliver best-in-class connectivity – now that continues into the 5G era, as we supply Telia's RAN technology in Finland and its core 5G network across the Nordic and Baltic nations. I look forward to continuing our close collaboration with Telia for years to come.”

The deal will see the upgrading of existing radio networks, as well as the rollout of 5G within Finland, and will enable Telia’s customers to develop new 5G use cases, and take advantage of the low latency and high speeds that 5G delivers. 

Building upon Telia’s existing Control/User Plane Separation (CUPS) core network architecture, Nokia's Cloud Packet Core (CPC) appliance will be used in the 5G SA user plane, providing an improved amount of scalability. And Nokia’s core solution will enable Telia to build a “unified core network”, offering quad-access (2/3/4/5G) services to subscribers.


Dan Oliver
Dan Oliver

Dan is a British journalist with 20 years of experience in the design and tech sectors, producing content for the likes of Microsoft, Adobe, Dell and The Sunday Times. In 2012 he helped launch the world's number one design blog, Creative Bloq. Dan is now editor-in-chief at 5Gradar, where he oversees news, insight and reviews, providing an invaluable resource for anyone looking to stay up-to-date with the key issues facing 5G.