Polkomtel picks Nokia to turn on 5G services in Poland

Nokia has launched 5G services with Polkomtel, operator of the Plus network, in the capital city of Warsaw as well as other major cities in the eastern part of the country.

The scope of the project includes the introduction of 5G on top of the existing Nokia AirScale LTE infrastructure. The service has been launched in the fourth quarter of 2020 and, as part of the nationwide Plus 5G network rollout started in May 2020, will be further expanded in the coming months.

Nokia supplied 5G radio solutions from its comprehensive AirScale portfolio for both indoor and outdoor coverage. These solutions will enable the Plus network operator to deliver cutting-edge connectivity and capacity to its subscribers at very low latencies, as well as reducing complexity and increasing cost efficiencies.

Polkomtel has leveraged the TDD 2600 MHz frequency band to deploy 5G services ahead of the 3.5 GHz frequency auction planned for next year. The initial rollout is a wide-area deployment of Nokia’s 5G AirScale Compact RRH solution which will enable the operator to build networks in dense urban areas or indoors with optimum performance. This is an innovative way to enable the right cell size, allowing them to manage costs and deliver the required capacity.

Nokia has been a system supplier for Polkomtel since 1996, firstly with 2G and 3G networks and then 4G. The deal continues Nokia’s long-standing partnership with Polkomtel into the 5G era. Polkomtel is one of Poland’s most innovative operators and was one of the first networks globally to launch a mass rollout of LTE already in 2011.

Jacek Felczykowski, Member of the Management Board of Cyfrowy Polsat S.A and Polkomtel Sp. z o.o., operator of Plus network, said: “Plus is at the forefront of innovative technology in Poland and we are proud to be the first mobile operator to launch 5G services in May this year and deliver incredible connectivity experiences to our subscribers. Nokia is our long-standing partner and we are glad we can cooperate also while building the fastest 5G network in Poland.”

Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, said: “We are delighted to continue our long-standing partnership with Polkomtel into the 5G era and beyond. It was a simple process to upgrade the existing Nokia-based infrastructure for 5G services, which enabled Polkomtel to increase the coverage of 5G services for their customers. I look forward to seeing the positive impact of 5G in the country and the incredible opportunities it will bring.”