First commercially available 5G Standalone (SA) network in Nordic and Baltic region
Telia Finland Telia can now offer residential customers in Finland wireless broadband connections with guaranteed speeds, thanks to its new Nokia-built 5G SA network.
The network will initially open to select users only in 20 geographical areas across Finland. In a statement, Telia promised further rollout will follow. According to a Nokia release the rollout includes Nokia’s cloud packet core and registers, which allows subscriber data to be consolidated into a common repository using a distributed and flexible architecture. Telia is also using Nokia’s Radio Access Network.
This ‘Telia CTO’ video on Nokia’s site goes into more details.
Voice over 5G New Radio
An IMS-based voice core will ensure voice is securely and reliably carried to devices with 5G New Radio (5G NR) using 3GPP’s NSA3x and SA2 options. In the case of NSA3x, voice is delivered as Voice over LTE (VoLTE), with data service remaining in 4G and 5G.
In the case of SA2, voice is delivered as either VoLTE using EPS fallback, which helps in regions where Telia has islands of 5G NR surrounded by 4G LTE. When 5G NR is broadly deployed in a geographic area, voice is delivered as Voice over 5G New Radio (VoNR), with voice and data remaining in 5G.
Private networks and automation
“We are excited to launch the Nordic and Baltic region’s first commercially available 5G standalone core network in Finland as one of the first in Europe to take 5G SA into full production,” said Telia CEO Allison Kirkby. “With 5G SA we can offer both enterprise and public sector customers new opportunities such as private networks, remote control and automation.
“At the same time, we will guarantee broadband speeds and lower latencies for improved streaming and gaming experiences. With our partner Nokia, we are proud to be bringing to life the possibilities of 5G.”
Nokia’s 5G SA core is a critical enabler of advanced 5G services in Finland, according to Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark.