Elisa will begin rolling out its so-called “5G-ready” network in the city of Jyväskylä next month.
The Finnish operator did not give specific details about the technology it will deploy, just that it will replace its base stations with pre-standard 5G network hardware that supports high throughput, low latency, and IoT services.
Construction is due to be completed by the end of August. In the meantime, Elisa warned that customers may experience service disruption while the upgrade is carried out.
Jyväskylä will become the third location to be covered by Elisa’s 5G-ready network after Turku and Tampere. Earlier this year, Elisa also successfully demonstrated 5G connectivity in a moving car on its test network in Helsinki.
Juha Peltomäki, Elisa’s Regional Director for Central Finland, said: “We are one of the global pioneers in the development of 5G technology. These kinds of networks and services that are based on them are being rapidly developed everywhere in the world. I’m certain that the first pre-commercial 5G services will be available already in 2018.”
Timo Koivisto, mayor of Jyväskylä, said: “It’s great that Elisa is going to renew the mobile network in the Jyväskylä economic region. At the same time, it supports the development of the business sector in the area. This ensures that in the future, new and even better digital services can be developed for people living in the city.”