Mon, Oct 01, 2018 13:35 CET

Telia Company invests in 5G frequencies in the 3.5 GHz band. The Ministry of Transport and Communications today announced the results of the license auction that started on September 26, 2018. Telia secured 130 MHz frequencies in the 3.5 GHz band.

The new frequencies will enable the start of commercial 5G operations from the beginning of 2019. 5G is expected to improve the throughput of mobile networks by more than 20 times and the capacity up to hundred times compared to current networks. The revolutionary aspect is the ability to connect a huge number of devices connected to the network and the possibility to enable services that require ultra-low latency and extreme reliability.

Telia opened the 5G era in Helsinki on September 5, 2018, by launching a pre-commercial 5G network in the Helsinki city center on test frequencies issued by Ficora. The growth of the 5G market is dependent on the availability of standard-compliant 5G devices, like modems, tablets and mobile phones by terminal manufacturers. The 5G development is expected to accelerate further with the introduction of frequencies in the 26 GHz band.

The licenses granted for the 3.5 GHz band are valid for 15 years starting from January 1st, 2019, and the price for the new frequency block is EUR 30.3 million including the administrative fees for the auction. The payment to Ficora will be made in five parts during five years.