Ericsson and Telia hit go button on Sweden’s first 5G network

Telia and Ericsson jointly switched on the first 5G network at KTH the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, with plans for a commercial launch across Sweden in 2020.

The partnership between the pair will see 5G applications tested at the university campus, creating a new innovation centre for the country. Interestingly enough, the pair claim network at KTH is permanent and constitutes the first building block in Sweden’s future 5G network.

“To have access to Sweden’s first 5G network here on campus is an amazing opportunity,” said Professor Jan Gulliksen, VP for Digitalization at KTH. “It gives our researchers, teachers and students a head-start when it comes to understanding and developing this new technology ahead of its wider launch. This is exactly the kind of partnership we believe helps stimulate research-driven innovation.”

“Two years ago, we promised to bring 5G to Helsinki, Tallinn and Stockholm during 2018,” said Johan Dennelind, CEO of Telia. “So, I’m especially proud to launch the first 5G network in Sweden at KTH today.

“This is going to be a truly dynamic test environment where not only large businesses and entrepreneurs from our partnership program but also researchers and students can continue to develop solutions for the connected society so that Sweden can remain at the forefront when 5G is launched commercially in 2020.”

For Sweden, this partnership demonstrates why the Nordics are often the envy of Europe when looking at connectivity and the digital economy. With two of the world’s connectivity heavyweights calling Sweden and Finland home, it should come as no surprise the local telcos play a key role in the development of future technologies.

According to Opensignal’s latest State of LTE report, Norway consistently features as one of the top performing countries worldwide, while Sweden and Finland are not too far behind. With 5G on the horizon it would be a fair bet to suggest these countries will be one of the best performers, though perhaps not realising the dream as quickly as countries such as South Korea and the US.