Ericsson and Telia Switch On Live 5G Network as Key Testbed in Sweden

You wait ages for a 5G network launch and four turn up in a matter of days: Swedish carrier Telia Company is the latest carrier to announce it has switched on a 5G network, with the help of Ericsson of course. Although the Telia network is not yet at the commercial stage, unlike the three 5G networks just launched in South Korea, the carrier and Ericsson point out that this is an important step toward the expected commercial launch of 5G in Sweden in 2020.That’s because the 5G network, situated at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and using a test license, is based on standardized and commercial radio and core products. An Ericsson spokesperson said the solution is based on the 3GPP standard (option 3x) for Non Standalone 5G New Radio, where the user plane makes use of 5G and the control plane uses 4G. “For the core network we use CUPS (Control and User Plane Separation), which has a positive effect on latency,” the spokesperson added.The network also provides a 5G testbed for partners. Areas of study will include autonomous transportation, IoT, smart buildings and city infrastructure, industry automation, and remote virtual reality.Telia noted that the frequencies required for commercial launch of 5G in Sweden will not be available until 2020. Indeed, the Post and Telecom Agency (PTS) is planning to auction wireless spectrum licenses for 5G services in the 3.4GHz-3.8GHz band in 2019, and it is also looking at selling off 5G mobile licenses in the 26.5GHz-27.5GHz band. The auction of 700MHz spectrum, which is aimed more at improving existing mobile broadband coverage in rural areas, started on Dec. 4.