Telia launches 5G on commercial frequencies in Vilnius
Having tested 5G technology in Lithuania for three years, Telia Lietuva is the first one in the country to start using available commercial frequencies to provide 5G services. Telia Lietuva is implementing the next-generation communication technology in the 2100 MHz frequency band. 20 base stations started operating commercial frequencies in Vilnius. Telia Lietuva 5G
Telia Lietuva has been testing non-commercial 5G frequencies granted by the Lithuanian Communications Regulatory Authority (RRT) in Lithuania since December 2018. Starting from November 2020, private and business customers were also able to try the next-generation network free of charge in Vilnius, Kaunas, Raseiniai and Klaipėda.
The auctions for the 700 MHz frequency band is understood to take place later this year, but Telia Lietuva has already activated 5G in Vilnius using its existing 2100 MHz frequency band.
“We are entering a new stage of development of 5G networks in Lithuania. This is an important signal both to consumers and equipment manufacturers – 5G technology is becoming increasingly more mature in Lithuania. Certainly when adding additional commercial frequencies for 5G technology, we will be able to offer 5G services to an even larger group of users with even more devices,” says Dan Stromberg, CEO of Telia Lietuva.
The company has first activated the currently available 2100 MHz frequencies for 5G network in 20 base stations in Vilnius. Their signal covers the neighbourhoods of Antakalnis, Saulėtekis and Naujoji Vilnia. The next-generation technology runs in Dynamic Spectrum Sharing mode, which allows the same frequency band to be used in parallel for both 4G and 5G connection.
Telia Lietuva has previously announced that it has upgraded its mobile network throughout Lithuania and installed over 450 next-generation Ericsson base stations last year. This allowed the 2100 MHz frequencies of the operator to be used for both 4G and 5G communication technologies. While this functionality will not render a significant leap in speed without additional frequencies, customers will experience other 5G benefits, such as less latency and higher connectivity coverage. Also, people will now see the 5G indicator on their phone screens instead of the previous 4G or LTE.
Customers can use Telia Lietuva 5G networks on both commercial (2100 MHz) and test (3.5 GHz) frequencies at no additional charge. All they need is an unlimited Internet plan and a device that supports 5G in Lithuania. Currently, 5G is available in Lithuania on the latest Asus, Huawei, Nokia, OnePlus, Sony, and Xiaomi phones, and Huawei and ZTE modems.
Telia Lietuva 5G connection on commercial and test frequencies has been activated in a total of 110 base stations of the company. 5G network coverage can be checked here.
