Telia’s 3G network will be closed at the end of 2023. However, Finns have already taken off and left the 3G network in large numbers when upgrading their phones and subscriptions to newer technologies. Calls and data traffic will move to a comprehensive 4G network and a rapidly expanding 5G network, while the total amount of network traffic will increase. Last year’s 20% growth in traffic was faster than in the previous years.

The renewal of technology is reflected in changes in network traffic. The volume of 5G data traffic on Telia’s network more than tenfold increased in 2021, and 5G traffic surpassed the volume of 3G data traffic at the end of the year.

“We give up the old to build the new. 5G’s growth rates are now tough as network coverage grows and 5G devices become more common. Finns who have purchased a 5G subscription use an average of 40% more internet on their phone than 4G customers, so the new capacity will be needed by data-hungry Finns, ”says Sami Siiki, Senior Vice President, Networks, Telia Finland.

The closure of 3G networks is also accelerating worldwide. Telia’s 3G network has been shut down in Norway, followed by Denmark and Lithuania. In the US, the first operators are shutting down both the 2G and 3G networks. For tourists, the accelerating closure of networks means that the old 3G phone will no longer work anywhere in the world. 

A smaller revolution in calls Telia Finland 5G 

Calls will also be lost on 3G. There was a small revolution last year when, for the first time, 4G voice (VoLTE) grew larger than mobile voice on the 3G network. Traditional 2G and 3G mobile voice still accounts for the majority of talk minutes, but the share of 4G speech continues to grow rapidly.

Traditional mobile voice does not work on 4G and 5G networks switching to data-based VoLTE technology. It has the advantage of faster call integration and better voice quality.

Already two out of three Finns are within Telia’s 5G network

Telia’s 5G construction continued to be intense throughout last year. At the turn of the year, Telia’s 5G network already had a population coverage of 64%, and the network served more than 3.5 million Finns in 158 locations.

Telia’s 5G network approximated world record speeds in the area of ​​the first high-frequency base stations introduced in Finland. At 26 GHz millimeter waves, speeds of more than 4 Gbit / s were reached. Telia Finland 5G 

Telia’s online traffic in 2021 continued to show growth driven by the corona, driven by increased teleworking, hybrid work and content consumption. The 20% growth in traffic was faster than in the years before the corona.