Telia, Ericsson and Intel have trialled pre-standard 5G in Estonia as they gear up to launch the technology commercially next year.
The Sweden-based operator used Ericsson’s base station and Intel’s Mobile Trial Platform to offer 5G latency and speeds on its existing commercial network in the Estonian capital Tallinn.
One test used a 5G connection to provide a Wi-Fi network on a commercial cruise ship based in the city’s harbour. The connectivity served the 2,000 passengers as well as the boat’s own information systems.
Another test showed how a construction team could operate an excavator from a distance via a 5G-connected AR headset and remote control.
The projects are part of a joint roadmap agreed by Telia and Ericsson in 2016 that aims to provide 5G in Tallinn, Stockholm and Helsinki by 2018.
Gabriela Styf Sjöman, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Networks at Telia Company said: “We work together with our partners in the entire ecosystem to explore the powerful effect it is going to have for our customers and in society. It’s not only about building a new network but it’s also about building a new way of thinking and perceiving what a mobile network can be and can do. High speed, low latency, guaranteed capacity and truly mobile is going to push the boundaries of digitalisation and we want to be there pushing it together with our partners.”
Asha Keddy, Vice President and General Manager, Next Generation and Standards Group at Intel Corporation, added: “Our work together trialling early usages of 5G technologies and the experiences it will bring to different industries, demonstrates the importance of collaboration and the need for seamless flow of data across the network, cloud and devices to make 5G a reality.”
Earlier this week, Ericsson and Intel demonstrated interoperability between their 5G equipment in the 3.5GHz band in China.