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The company’s 5G rollout is scheduled to begin during the first half of 2020
A new partnership between Vodafone and Nokia will fast track Vodafone’s rollout of 5G throughout Australia.
For the city of Parramatta, 5G availability could be arriving as early as the next few months. The city contains sites previously used to demonstrate Nokia’s technology, which could be switched on for customer use, making this area the first to receive commercial coverage by Vodafone’s 5G network in Australia.
Nokia and Vodafone have been working together to develop a 5G partnership in Australia since 2016 and now trials are becoming reality. The Finnish electronics company presented Vodafone with an advanced 5G roadmap that included the deployment of new Massive MIMO antennas, allowing for increased capacity and performance. The plan also enables 5G in all the spectrum bands currently being use for 4G.
“We have worked with Nokia for several years across different elements of our network. They presented a compelling roadmap that aligned with our 5G objectives and will help us to continue improving our 4G network for our customers,” said Vodafone’s chief executive officer, Iñaki Berroeta.
“Their knowledge of our network is extensive, and they are in the best position to ensure a seamless transition and that we reach our 5G goals as soon as possible while maintaining the best experience for our 4G customers.”
This partnership will last for at least 5 years, allowing Vodafone to place orders with Nokia for site delivery, thereby allowing the operator to set the pace when rolling out its 5G network.
“We started our 5G journey with Vodafone in 2016 and are now moving from trials to reality,” commented Federico Guillén, president, customer operations EMEA & APAC at Nokia. “Nokia’s end-to-end portfolio has a key role to play here, with this deal including 5G radio access network (RAN), IP/Optical, Microwave, deployment and managed services, as well as software.”
Vodafone will begin the rollout of its 5G network in the first half of 2020.
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