TeliaSonera, DNA to share network in rural Finland

The Finnish operation of Scandinavian operator TeliaSonera has agreed a deal with local Finnish carrier DNA that will see the two share network resources and spectrum in the sparsely populated Northern and Eastern regions of Finland.

The joint venture between Sonera and DNA allows for a more efficient build out and operation of radio networks in an area making up 50 per cent of Finland’s total territory in which only approximately 15 per cent of its population live.

TeliaSonera is required to reach 99 per cent population 4G-coverage in Finland by the end of 2018, and this network sharing agreement will enable the company to reach this goal more efficiently, it said.

“The build-out in Eastern and Northern Finland is an important part of our ambition to improve customer experience and the efficiency of all our networks. We have positive experiences from network sharing in other markets. Thanks to the cooperation with DNA we can deliver on our promise to have the best network in Finland faster. We can accelerate the roll-out of super-fast mobile internet across all of Finland,” said Robert Andersson, head of TeliaSonera’s business region Europe.

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The joint venture company, called Suomen Yhteisverkko, will build and operate a common radio access network for 2G, 3G and 4G technologies. The company will own the radio network equipment and rent masts and base station facilities from the operators or third parties. The operators will also combine their 800MHz frequency blocks to offer faster 4G connections and more capacity to their customers in the area.

The joint venture is expected to start operations at the beginning of 2015 with Sonera owning 51 per cent and DNA 49 per cent of the company. Antti Jokinen, previously Head of Networks at DNA, has been appointed CEO of the joint venture.