Made in Sweden: Telia Company announces transformative 5G partnership with Ericsson

Wed, Oct 21, 2020

Telia Company today enters into a strategic partnership which brings together two of the region’s wireless pioneers in order to provide superior network experiences based on 5G to Telia’s 7 million subscribers in Sweden and Estonia. The five-year agreement with Ericsson empowers Telia to drive sustainable digital society development by offering subscribers and enterprise customers state-of-the-art mobile connectivity.

The agreement focuses on Sweden and Estonia, where Ericsson will be the sole partner to deliver radio access network technology (RAN) to base stations in order to modernize Telia Company’s 4G networks and upgrade them to 5G. 10,000 sites will be upgraded in order to provide fast and secure mobile connectivity that is both sustainable and accessible.

“Our networks have never been more important to life and livelihoods and they are the foundation of a thriving digital economy, with innovation, sustainability and security at their core. With today’s agreement, we have the foundation in place to develop the most trusted and reliable 5G networks in the Nordics and the Baltics. It is also the start of a multiyear investment in our networks, ramping up fully in 2021,” says Allison Kirkby, President and CEO of Telia Company.

“The partnership is truly ‘Made in Sweden’ since we have a long, innovative relationship with Ericsson. Together we have pioneered and enabled communication between people and businesses for decades. One such example is the 5G-powered self-driving electrical bus launched a few weeks ago in Stockholm,” adds Allison Kirkby.

Ericsson and Telia, two of Sweden’s wireless pioneers, have a shared history that goes back more than a century. Telia and Ericsson were first in the world to launch 4G more than a decade ago. And in 2016 the two companies announced a strategic partnership around 5G that has included milestones like the world’s first 5G underground mining network deployment, remote-controlled machines and self-driving vehicles. And this is just the start. The 5G technology now being deployed will deliver entirely new experiences and services in all areas of society, from cloud gaming to remote healthcare and drone delivery.

Börje Ekholm, President and CEO of Ericsson, says:

“The full realization of 5G’s potential begins with the network. With that in place the true power to innovate, explore and experience the world through 5G becomes possible. The next global game changing network application may well be invented by a tech start up or developer using a Telia 5G network, leveraging Ericsson technology. We share an ambition with Telia to create a better-connected world with a more sustainable future in which the Nordic and Baltic countries play a powerful part.”

The 5G networks being deployed by Telia are up to five times more energy efficient than previous generations and are powered by 100 percent renewable electricity, which is of particular importance as data loads continue to increase. The partnership with Ericsson will also pave the way for smarter ways of working and more efficient and sustainable network operations.

Telia Company launched its first public 5G network in Finland in 2019, followed by Norway and Sweden earlier this year with Denmark set to launch later this fall. For more information on the deployment of 5G in Telia Company – see here .