Both the Finnish and Swedish telecom vendors Nokia and Ericsson have been awarded a new 5G contract from the Spanish operator Telefonica. A thing worth noting here is that both the vendors have been provided with an equal deal. Telefonica chose both the operators in equal capacity to ensure continuity with its 4G and 3G network deployments. The two vendors will continue to deploy equipment and solutions where their products are installed already.
Telefonica Has Chosen Nokia, Ericsson to Follow Same Strategies of Other Countries
Telefonica said that it had chosen the two vendors because it wanted to follow the same strategy that other countries have followed in regards to their 5G networks. In a press release, the Spanish operator said that in Germany, O2’s 5G network is managed by both Nokia and Huawei equally, while in the UK, both Nokia and Ericsson manage 50%-50% of networks. The 5G network rollout of Telefonica will be in the 3.5 GHz and 700 MHz bands. The mid-band, which is the 3.5 GHz spectrum, will allow the operator to serve fast internet in areas that are densely populated, while the 700 MHz bands will allow the operator to provide better coverage in less densely populated areas. Both the vendors have also helped the operator with its legacy network rollouts. Thus, they will be installing their 5G equipment in areas where their 3G and 4G equipment are already installed. For the unaware, Telefonica is the largest telecom vendor based out of Spain, and it already offers 5G coverage to 80% of the population in the country. Note that Telefonica’s 5G networks present in Spain already combine the 5G non-standalone (NSA) networks and dynamic spectrum sharing. Both Ericsson and Nokia are quite experienced in the deployment of network equipment and solutions and have also launched new solutions to help the operators with their 5G rollout operations.
