Telenor Picks Cisco and NEC to Deploy 5G xHaul Transport Network

NEC Corporation and Cisco have been selected by Telenor to deploy 5G xHaul transport networks in Norway and Denmark.

In April this year, NEC and Cisco entered a Global System Integrator Agreement (GSIA) to expand their partnership for accelerating the deployment of innovative 5G IP transport network solutions worldwide. This project is a flagship initiative in which the two companies take full advantage of the GSIA and collaborate to deliver state-of-the-art networks to the customer.

NEC and Telenor have a well-established history of working together, and this project is an extension of a global frame agreement(2) signed in 2016 for Telenor's 4G IP / Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) network in Scandinavia, to deliver next-generation networks to the operator.

For this specific project, Cisco will supply its NCS 540 series as the cell site router and NEC will provide value added services built on its expertise both in the IT and network domain to implement an architecture that enables flexible and highly scalable end-to-end IP/MPLS networks with bandwidth that can support the high-capacity and low-latency communication required by 5G.

"As a One-stop Network Integrator, NEC takes a customer-first approach, providing optimal solutions that match individual requirements based on our best-of-breed ecosystem, consisting of NEC's own products and those from industry-leading partners such as Cisco. We are excited to contribute to the advancement of Telenor's 5G network evolution," said Mayuko Tatewaki, General Manager, Service Provider Solutions Division, NEC Corporation.

"At Cisco, we continue to look for ways we can shape the future of the internet by providing unparalleled value to our customers and our partners," said Shaun McCarthy, Vice President of Worldwide Sales, Mass Infrastructure Group, Cisco. "Through our partnership with NEC, we can help Telenor connect more people in Norway and Denmark and provide the automation and orchestration necessary to meet future demands on the network."

Going forward, NEC and Cisco will continue making collaborative efforts to further enhance their joint solution portfolio and to optimize regional activities for advancing the digital transformation of customers across the globe.