The operator launched what it says is the first commercial 5G network in Norway, connecting nine cities and villages.
The launch was scheduled to take place in Trondheim but was held online via virtual video conference instead due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Telenor said the launch follows two years of 5G trials and pilots. 5G is now available in Kongsberg, Elverum, Bodo, Askvoll, Fornebu, Kvitfjell, Longyearbyen,Trondheim and the Spikersuppa neighbourhood in capital city Oslo.
The operator plans to roll out 5G in Bergen, Stavanger and Sandnes in 2020, and expand it in Oslo.
Coronavirus connectivity
Sigve Brekke, President and CEO of Telenor Group, said, “Telenor is proud to be the first mobile operator to launch a commercial 5G network in Norway, as we have worked tirelessly to stay at the forefront of the 5G development.
“By bringing Norway into a new technological age, [the] opening marks another milestone in Telenor’s 165-year-long history. We expect 5G to be the key driver of transformation in this decade, and we are very much looking forward to continuing the roll-out of 5G to our customers.”
Linda Hofstad Helleland, Norway’s Minister of Regional Development and Digitalisation, added, “Given the current situation in Norway, we see how important the digital infrastructure is for those quarantined and those working from home.
“The new 5G network will provide better mobile coverage and gradually better access to broadband across the country, which will reduce the vulnerability of an increasingly digitised society.”
Telenor plans to upgrade 2,000 base stations in 2021 and 8,500 over the next five years.