Telia Lithuania (also known as Telia Lietuva), the country’s biggest telecommunications and IT company, has announced the launch of a 5G mobile network in Lithuania.
According to press reports, 11 5G base stations are already operating in three cities: Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda. Two more 5G stations will be launched in the Klaipėda Free Economic Zone (FEZ) in early December.
Frequencies for testing the technology, which are being provided by the Communications Regulatory Authority of Lithuania (CRA), are at present being used for non-commercial 5G communication services.
Tele Lithuania claims that, since GSM in 1995, it has led in the introduction of all the latest mobile communication technologies. The company says it tested 5G technology in a live network in Vilnius as long ago as 2018.
Telia Lithuania will start providing commercial next-generation 5G mobile communication services in Lithuania after the regulator announces official terms and conditions. This will take place after the 5G frequency auction, which is planned for next year.
As regular readers will know, Ericsson recently announced plans to supply Telia with equipment for its 5G deployment in Lithuania. Ericsson indicated that about 2,000 mobile sites will be upgraded over the coming three years to deliver the next-generation technology.
Currently Telia Lithuania uses Huawei radio access network (RAN) equipment; this will be phased out from next year.
