Coronavirus will not stand in the way of Telenor’s 5G

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to build, Telenor has shown that their 5G ambitions will not be deterred, today announced the launch of Norway’s first commercial 5G network. 

 

The network has gone live in nine towns and cities; notable among these are the Spikersuppa neighbourhood in Oslo, Fornebu airport, and Trondheim, deemed the nation’s most technologically advanced city.

 

The announcement was originally intended to be made on Friday, with a live audience in Trondheim, but the operator widely decided to call off the event in favour of a digital conference announcement today.

 

“We expect 5G to be the key driver of transformation in this decade, and we are very much looking forward to continuing the roll-out of 5G to our customers,” said Sigve Brekke, president and CEO of Telenor Group.

 

Linda Hofstad Helleland, Norway’s minister of regional development and digitalization, welcomed the announcement calling it crucial for keeping for keeping the national the at forefront of the latest technologies. 

 

She also noted the increasing importance of connectivity and shrinking the digital divide in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

 

“Given the current situation in Norway, we see how important the digital infrastructure is for those quarantined and those working from home. The new 5G network will provide better mobile coverage and gradually better access to broadband across the country, which will reduce the vulnerability of an increasingly digitised society,” she said.

 

Telenor has big plans to widen their 5G network’s availability significantly in the near future, aiming to upgrade 2,000 base stations by 2021, with a further 8,500 to follow by 2025. How feasible this target is remains to be seen, however, since the coronavirus outbreak could drastically reduce the manpower available to perform the necessary upgrades. Luckily for Telenor, its rivals are sure to be encumbered with the same issue.