Ericsson has supported Tele2’s 5G rollout by deploying 25,000 base stations across Russia.
The agreement between Ericsson and Tele2 was announced at MWC 2019 as a five-year network modernization program. Ericsson now reports that reaching 25,000 base stations marks the completion of roughly half of that contract.
Sebastian Tolstoy, Head of Ericsson in Russia, said:
“Our work enables Tele2 subscribers to access high-quality mobile internet services. All Ericsson network equipment deployed in Russia can be upgraded to 5G via remote software updates, allowing operators to launch new services quickly once they receive the necessary licenses.
The Ericsson 5G Innovation Hub in Moscow gives Russian service providers a live environment to test new 5G and IoT solutions. Co-located with the Innovation Hub, the Ericsson Academy trains more than 1,000 specialists from service providers and students each year.”
Deploying this many sites during a global pandemic highlights the speed of the rollout. If that pace continues, the five-year program could be completed in about two years.
Aleksey Telkov, CTO of Tele2 Russia, added:
“In the Moscow region we initially installed 5G-ready base stations. We launched a pilot 5G network in central Moscow and, together with Ericsson, are modernizing the network nationwide.
These efforts mean Tele2 is technologically prepared for 5G.”
In August 2019, Ericsson and Tele2 set up a dedicated 5G Zone in central Moscow to showcase the new technology. That zone operated in non-Standalone (NSA) mode using the 28 GHz band, with Band 7 (2600 MHz) serving as the anchor LTE frequency. 5G pocket routers compatible with 28 GHz were used to demonstrate ultra-fast mobile broadband for end users.
The 5G Zone highlighted use cases such as immersive VR entertainment, smart building applications, and a range of consumer and industrial scenarios that benefit from low latency and high throughput.
Reaching the 25,000 base station milestone brings more Russian residents closer to the benefits of next-generation mobile networks.
Under the Russian national program “The Digital Economy of the Russian Federation,” the government aims to deliver 5G coverage to major cities by 2024.
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