Telia and Finnish telco provider DNA have agreed to expand the mobile network built through their jointly owned network-sharing company.
The area of the Finnish Shared Network operating in Northern and Eastern Finland will now expand further southwest to the Raahe-Loviisa line, covering cities like Oulu, Kuopio and Kouvola. The cooperation will speed up the 5G construction in this area.
The joint venture enables more efficient construction and operation of mobile networks. The operational area of the Finnish Shared Network which today covers 50 percent of the area and 13.5 percent of the population will be expanded to cover 62.5 percent of the area and 28.5 percent of the population.
The cooperation improves Telia‘s and DNA’s customer experience as network coverage, speed and quality improve. More base stations will be built in the new area, and the speed and capacity of the network will increase in the same way as in Northern and Eastern Finland, as operators combine their frequencies in the Finnish Shared Network area. The cooperation will speed up the construction of 5G in the new area by approximately one year.
Network sharing does not affect end-user services. Telia and DNA will continue to offer independently competing services to customers in the joint network area.
“During its five years of operation, the Finnish Shared Network has brought top quality connections extensively to Northern and Eastern Finland. It is a good idea to expand a well-functioning joint project now as the company starts the construction of a fast 5G network that will accelerate the next industrial revolution,” says Jari Collin, CTO, Telia Finland.
Finnish Shared Network will build and operate radio networks based on 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G technologies. The company owns radio network equipment and rents masts and base station sites from operators and third parties.
In October 2020, The Finnish Shared Network announced the launch of a 5G program and the modernization of the radio network with Nokia. The company will immediately launch the integration of the new area into the construction plan that will start this year.
