Denmark launches its first standalone 5G network

Ericsson and TDC NET have collaborated to bring Denmark into the proper 5G era.

TDC NET seems to have consistently made the early 5G running in Denmark, having gone live with the country’s first non-standalone (NSA) 5G (i.e. 5G RAN on a legacy core) three years ago. The fact that it took so long to complete the transition to proper (standalone – SA) 5G illustrates how complicated that move is. The Ericsson press release frames it as ‘a monumental leap forward in connectivity’ but that remains to be seen.

“With the 5G Standalone network, we are now able to accelerate the Danish 5G ecosystem and provide a world-class mobile network with a range of new opportunities for consumers and businesses by enabling slicing, and thereby providing service differentiation,” said Niclas Backlund, Country Manager for Ericsson Denmark.

“By modernizing legacy networks and then upgrading to 5G, communication service providers can lower operating costs thanks to greater energy efficiency and thus reduce total cost of ownership. And, at the same time, they can future-proof their networks for anticipated higher capacity needs and offer customers value through new services and capabilities.”

“We were the first to introduce 5G in Denmark and now we are taking the next big step by switching on 5G Standalone,” said Jakob Dirksen CTO of TDC NET. “This will offer consumers, enterprises and industries enhanced efficiency, safety, and a range of opportunities across everything from self-driving cars, remote work, healthcare, as well as mission-critical operations by authorities. In addition, 5G Standalone will also enable energy efficiency improvements thanks to more data being transmitted with the same amount of energy and faster access to content.”

Those are all nice features but do any of them represent a monumental leap forward? The key features listed in such canned quotes offer an insight into how operators and vendors are commercially positioning the technology and we still seems to be talking mainly about efficiency rather than dramatic new revenue streams. We look forward to hearing how TDC NET is progressing with that range of opportunities.

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