Elisa has become the first operator in Europe to trial 5G technology on the 3.5GHz band after conducting a demonstration with Nokia.
The test was held last week in Rusko and transmitted a signal between a base station and terminal. Peak data speeds were 1.5GBps and the lowest latency was 1.5 milliseconds.
Kalle Lehtinen, Elisa’s Vice President with Responsibility for Technology and Architecture, said: “The exercise is a continuation of 5G testing carried out last August, in which Elisa and Nokia tested the remote control of robots, 360-degree video streaming, as well as superfast next-generation mobile ultra-broadband. We are eagerly waiting for the 3.5 GHz band to become fully available as it will accelerate the offering of commercial 5G services to our customers.”
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3.5GHz has been identified as one of the key bands for forthcoming 5G networks. Elisa is planning to tap into it for 5G use when it becomes available in Finland from 31 December 2018.
Earlier this month, Sweden’s regulator said it would open up the 3.5GHz and 26GHz bands for 5G trials later this year.
In the Netherlands, KPN recently raised concerns about the potential lack of spectrum for 5G, objecting to the lack of certainty about the 3.5GHz band.
French regulator Arcep said in January it was exploring how 2.6GHz and 3.5GHz could be used for 5G.