“Connectivity is fundamental to modern societies and with 5G we open up for completely new experiences and applications for our customers and partners. Exploring this technology here in Norway means that we can learn, test and continuously improve as we gradually introduce 5G to our markets,” said Sigve Brekke, Telenor Group President and CEO, as he participated in the first live 5G video call in Norway.
With the new pilot, Telenor becomes the first operator in Norway to integrate 5G into its mobile network. This means that anyone with access to a 5G mobile phone will soon be able to use the super network of the future in Elverum.
“This is an important day both for the residents of Elverum and us at Telenor. With the launch of Scandinavia’s largest 5G pilot, we have strengthened our commitment to 5G. The residents of Elverum have exciting times ahead of them, reaping the benefits of what next-generation mobile technology has to offer,” said Telenor Norway CEO Petter Furberg at the launch.
Scandinavia’s largest 5G pilot
Telenor’s pilot in Elverum is the most comprehensive 5G pilot run by Telenor and the largest run in Scandinavia as of today. Through the project, more than 50 pilot customers in the municipality will be connected to the 5G network. They will get to test 5G on mobile handsets, 5G via broadband and TV, as well as smart home solutions. Ericsson will be contributing both 5G network equipment and deployment.
“The success of this 5G pilot signals great things in store not just for Elverum but for Norway as a whole. The benefits of 5G’s high speeds, low latency, and superior reliability will make a real difference. Ericsson is leading the way on 5G in Europe, so we are pleased to work with partners such as Telenor to ensure that their customers in turn also benefit from that leadership and expertise,” said Jenny Lindqvist, Head of Northern & Central Europe at Ericsson.
Telenor’s 5G commitment continues
Telenor’s commitment to 5G continues apace with expansions to the network planned in several locations in Norway, including Trondheim and the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.
Telenor announced those 10 Norwegian locations that will get 5G over the course of this year. They are:
1. Elverum
2. Fornebu
3. Trondheim
4. Bodo (selected base stations)
5. Oslo (selected base stations)
6. Askvoll
7. Svalbard
8. Kvitfjell
9. Heroya
10. Froya
This is complimented by further pilots and partnerships in Scandinavia and Asia. Earlier this year, Telenor Denmark announced the commencement of 5G trials with Nokia, while in Asia this month, Telenor’s Malaysian operation, Digi, partnered with Cyberview to open a 5G lab in the country. The ‘OpenLab’ will be a collaborative space for businesses academics and developers to test new 5G use cases.