Elisa Taps Ericsson to Enable Nordic’s first 5G standalone connection

Ericsson and Elisa have established the first end-to-end 5G Standalone connection in Finland, opening many new opportunities in the country.

The technology milestone is the first in the Nordics and will mean more advanced 5G use cases for both Consumer and Corporate customers. The regional first was carried out using Ericsson products and solutions from their extensive 5G portfolio.

Kalle Lehtinen, CTO, Elisa, says: “Elisa started to test 5G technology years before its launch in 2019. Now, together with Ericsson, we again walk a few steps ahead and look to the future of 5G. Although this was a pilot, it’s a big step towards even faster, more reliable and efficient 5G that will benefit our customers in the near future.”

Standalone 5G will enable applications that require ultra-low latency such as augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), smart factories and connected vehicles. With a super-fast response time, a Standalone 5G device can connect six-times faster to a Standalone 5G network than a device operating in non-Standalone (NSA) mode. This will give the user a far better experience and offer many new opportunities for innovation at an industry level.

Jenny Lindqvist, Head of Northern & Central Europe, Ericsson, says: “Elisa and Ericsson have always been united in our dedication towards a sustainable and connected future. We are incredibly pleased to continue our journey together as Elisa’s trusted partner, reaching all 2.8 million of their customers with our superior connectivity, and now innovating with our leading 5G portfolio. The low-latency benefits of 5G will be multiplied by utilizing 5G standalone connectivity, and alongside Elisa we will unlock more solutions to transform both society and industry.”

The full commercial Elisa 5G launch took place in June 2019 in Finland. Following the Finnish government’s decision to allocate frequency bands for 5G, Elisa, a leading Finnish network operator, is able to pave the way for 5G in Europe with Ericsson’s leading 5G portfolio.