Nokia announced that it has been selected by Elisa Estonia, a subsidiary of Elisa Finland, for a nationwide 5G RAN deployment as well as to replace the existing 4G infrastructure in a five-year deal. Nokia will be the sole provider, replacing the incumbent vendor. Deployment is expected to roll out next year following the completion of Estonia’s spectrum auction in early 2022.  elisa estonia 5g

Under the deal, Nokia will provide equipment from its latest ReefShark System on Chip-powered AirScale equipment portfolio covering Elisa’s nationwide radio network across the country. Nokia’s AirScale RAN portfolio is designed for seamless, simple, and efficient ‘plug-in’ deployment and reduced power consumption. It covers all deployment scenarios including dense-urban environments and wide-area coverage.

Nokia also maintains a long-standing partnership with Elisa Corporation and was selected as a nationwide supplier of 5G RAN last year supporting their efforts to digitize Finland and make it a leading global 5G market.

Andrus Hiiepuu, CEO at Elisa Estonia, commented:“We have huge ambitions for providing state-of-the-art entertainment and communications services to our customers underpinned by a 5G network. Nokia is our trusted partner for this and will help us to deliver a sustainable 5G business. Their technology and innovation will help us to differentiate in the market and I look forward to working closely with them on this project.” 

Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, said: “We are delighted to have been selected by Elisa Estonia in this deal and for their trust in our technology leadership. Our AirScale portfolio will deliver cutting-edge connectivity to their customers and I look forward to working closely with them on this project and beyond.”  elisa estonia 5g

Telia’s 5G network available at over 50 locations in Estonia

The telecommunications company Telia has further developed its 5G network in Estonia and the mobile technology is now available at over 50 locations.

The main focus in terms of 5G network development has thus far been on cities, such as Tallinn, Tartu and Parnu; however, new 5G base stations are increasingly being established in other regions in Estonia as well, according to Telia.

Andre Visse, chief technology officer at Telia Estonia, said that the company is projecting a significant increase in the number of 5G network users in relation to 5G support having been activated on the entire iPhone 12 series at the start of June and users of said smartphones numbering close to 20,000 among Telia customers.

Visse pointed out that in addition to the three biggest cities in Estonia, Telia has also established 5G base stations in the North Estonian county town of Rakvere, various locations on the Viimsi Peninsula and in the small towns of Saha and Loo. The company is planning to further expand its 5G coverage in June through nearly 20 new locations.