May 24, 2020 17:55 CET
Yesterday, Telia Sweden inaugurated its first major commercial 5G network in Stockholm. It already has 15 base stations in place, and during July a further 60+ will be built so that the 5G network will cover most of central Stockholm by Midsummer. Expansion of the network is underway in a further 12 cities including Gothenburg and Malmö, where it will be launched later this year.
"Telia’s 5G launch lays the foundations for the next phase of digital transformation, with innovation, sustainability and security as three critical pillars, and we are proud to be doing this launch, in partnership with Ericsson. As we roll-out 5G across Sweden, we will open up new user experiences and accelerated innovation in areas such as entertainment, healthcare, manufacturing and transport, that will collectively strengthen and protect everyone living and working in Sweden, and Swedish competitiveness in the world,” says Allison Kirkby, President and CEO of Telia Company.
“The Corona crisis has forced several countries to postpone the rollout of 5G, but in Sweden we manage to maintain the pace of development, despite the difficult situation we are in. The crisis has shown the importance of telecommunications for work and digital meetings, and here 5G will play a significant role,” says Anders Ygeman, Minister for Energy and Digital Development.
During the spring, 15 base stations have been upgraded with 5G in Stockholm, and the network is already up and running. A further 60+ are due to be completed during June in partnership with Ericsson. As a result, a significant part of Stockholm will be covered by 5G by the end of the month, including Norrmalm, Östermalm and Vasastan. Parallel to this, expansion of the network is taking place in a further 12 cities, including Gothenburg and Malmö, where it will be launched later this year.
“This is a real milestone for us as a Swedish company as we partner with Telia Company to make commercial 5G a reality for its users in Stockholm. Whether through enhanced mobile broadband or innovative new business, societal and industrial applications, 5G is set to change life and society for the better right across Sweden. We look forward to working with our strategic partner Telia Company to drive this change and ensure Sweden benefits from the competitive benefits of digitalization”, says Börje Ekholm, President and CEO, Ericsson.
Thanks to 5G, the digital motorways are being widened and new, fresh capacity is added to the mobile network. This is essential in order to meet the ever-increasing demand for data and to enable even more advanced services on our mobile phones. By combining 4G and 5G we are also getting closer to the government’s broadband goals by delivering fast and cost-efficient internet in places where there is currently no fiber available.
The new 5G network will contribute to higher data speeds, lower latency and more efficient power consumption. Telia’s 5G network is powered by 100 percent renewable energy which has been certified by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (Naturskyddsföreningen)*. Telia’s 4G network will continue to play an important role in complementing the 5G network.
The facts – this is how it will work
5G is the next generation mobile network which will enable new possibilities for more people, as well as create completely new areas of use. Thanks to 5G, the digitalization journey that businesses, organizations and society as a whole have embarked upon will be made smoother, smarter and faster.
The journey started already in 2016, and in 2018 the country’s first 5G mast was inaugurated at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm. Since then, numerous 5G testbeds have been launched around the country, offering businesses, academia and the public sector the ability to work together to explore the many possibilities of this new technology.
Customers with the subscription Telia Mobil (private customers) or Telia Jobbmobil (business customers)**, who have 5G-ready smartphones from Telia, and are located in an area with 5G coverage will be able to connect to the new network. The first 5G-ready smartphones are already on sale, among them the Samsung Galaxy S20. An automatic software update, that will come during the summer, is required for this model to be able to connect to the network. A 5G symbol will appear on the display once the device is connected to the 5G network.
[Read more about Telia’s 5G-efforts](https://www.telia.se/privat/om/5g).
Telia is Sweden’s first operator to use electricity certified by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (Naturskyddsföreningens Bra Miljöval). This means that all electricity is renewable and meets certain requirements concerning the environment, climate, animals, plants and people.
This applies to customers who subscribed to Telia Jobbmobil on or after 1 April 2020. Older subscriptions can be upgraded in order to become 5G-ready.
Ericsson Press Release
Products and solutions from
Ericson Radio System are already powering the first Telia Company Stockholm City Center 5G services and supporting commercially available Telia 5G-ready smartphones.
Telia's 5G network is also powered 100 percent by renewable electricity, accredited by the Swedish Environmental Protection Association's Good Environmental Choice mark.
Anders Ygeman, Sweden’s Minister of Energy and Digital Development, joined senior Telia and Ericsson executives for today’s launch in Stockholm.
Allison Kirkby, CEO, Telia Company, says: “Our networks have never been more important to lives and livelihoods, than now. Telia’s 5G launch lays the foundations for the next phase of digital transformation, with innovation, sustainability and security as three critical pillars, and we are proud to be doing this launch in partnership with Ericsson. As we roll-out 5G across Sweden, we will open up new user experiences and accelerated innovation in areas such as entertainment, healthcare, manufacturing and transport, that will collectively strengthen and protect everyone living and working in Sweden, and Swedish competitiveness in the world.”
Börje Ekholm, President and CEO, Ericsson, says: “This is a real milestone for us as a Swedish company as we partner with Telia Company to make commercial 5G a reality for its users in Stockholm. Whether through enhanced mobile broadband or innovative new business, societal and industrial applications, 5G is set to change life and society for the better right across Sweden. We look forward to working with our strategic partner Telia Company to drive this change and ensure Sweden benefits from the competitive benefits of digitalization.”
With today’s launch Ericsson now has 37 live 5G networks in 22 countries. Ericsson’s live networks are part of the 91 commercial 5G agreements or contracts the company has with unique operators globally, of which 48 are publicly announced 5G deals.
