Telenor Group is using five Norwegian families to test broadband and TV over a 5G network, in the first real-life pilot of the technology in Scandinavia.
The trial will be held in Kongsberg and lasts until summer 2019, ahead of a commercial rollout of the technology the following year.
The operator is also planning to involve the supermarket chain Coop, the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation and Applied Autonomy in further trials.
The network comprises several slices that will adapted to different needs and use cases.
Sigve Brekke, President & CEO of Telenor Group, said: “We have been preparing for 5G for a long time and it’s great to finally be able to share the technology with families and businesses in the technology-city of Kongsberg. We are looking forward to testing the technology and learning as much as possible together with our new pilot customers.
“5G is more than a new generation of mobile network – it unleashes a vast potential within data and telecom services and will improve most services and solutions across industries.
“With today’s launch of the very first 5G pilot in Scandinavia here in Kongsberg we have a flexible toolkit in place, which will help accelerate digitalisation, both in Norway and other markets in which Telenor operates.”
The operator is the lead telco in the European Union’s VINNI project, which explores how 5G can perform in different vertical markets.
Norway was one of seven countries whose Prime Ministers agreed in May to help foster 5G deployment.
In a joint statement at the time, Telenor joined six other operators in saying 5G would require heavy investment and a relaxing of regulation.