Telenor 5G pilot for Norway
November 9, 2018
Scandinavian telco Telenor has launched what it says is the very first 5G pilot in Scandinavia. The pilot will serve as a testbed for the superfast fifth generation mobile network in Norway. The pilot was launched during the technology and innovation conference Kongsberg Summit, with Telenor claiming a milestone in Norwegian telecommunications history.
“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,” declared Sigve Brekke, President & CEO of Telenor Group. “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,” he added. “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.”
Telenor’s pilot project offers select residents of Kongsberg the chance to test 5G technology until summer 2019. Initially, five families will test broadband and TV services delivered via 5G in their homes. Subsequently, the pilot will be expanded to include more test users. Several Norwegian businesses are also involved, including Coop, The Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation and Applied Autonomy.
“We are starting in Kongsberg and will expand to offer more pilot locations in 2019, while gradually preparing for the commercial roll out of 5G in 2020,” advised Bjørn Ivar Moen, acting CEO of Telenor Norway. “5G technology could fundamentally impact several critical societal functions, such as traffic management, health services, and important communications services like emergency communication network.”
The 5G network will consist of several network slices, which are fundamentally several different logical networks on the same physical infrastructure. These networks can be adapted to serve different needs and use cases in a completely new way, and function as if they are independent networks despite belonging to the same physical 5G network. As a result, Telenor says it expects higher speeds, minimal latency and a more reliable network.
“The 5G network is extremely fast, stable and secure, and will dramatically improve services critical to our society. The new network will be a driver of digital transformation and we are looking forward to continuing on that journey,” concluded Moen.