Free said it has become the country’s first telco to offer 5G 3.5 GHz SA (Standalone Access) on its public network on a national scale in France. The operator already claims the largest 5G mobile network in France, with over 20,000 5G sites in service, including 6,950 3.5 GHz sites.
Although base station numbers are just one factor given other factors matter like coverage quality, performance and frequency bands used which vary between operators. However, the operator said its 5G network is available in almost 10,500 municipalities, it already covers nearly 95% of the French population.
Free emphasises that 5G SA is a 5G network that “uses fully dedicated and standalone infrastructure and does not rely on any 4G infrastructure”, unlike 5G NSA (Non-Standalone Access), which is built on existing 4G core network infrastructure with 5G laid on top. It’s a fair point as Orange has been rolling out 5G, but primarily using NSA technology. SFR (Altice) and Bouygues Telecom are also expanding their 5G networks, but similarly, they have been more focused on NSA and have not launched 5G SA nationally.
Free said its large-scale deployment will allow the “full potential of 5G technology to be realised” through the “massive take-up of new services and 5G applications” in many domains, ranging from industry, health, education and entertainment through to smart cities. The operator’s business-focused Free Pro unit will use standalone to create new services.
Voice over New Radio
With 5G SA, Free said it is also the first telco in France to launch VoNR (Voice over New Radio) – a new technology that supports voice communication over a 5G network. VoNR brings new benefits to voice communication: faster connection times, lower latency, better voice quality and less battery drain.
VoNR is designed to replace traditional voice services (such as 2G, 3G, and 4G VoLTE) with a more efficient and reliable solution. It uses the same 5G technology that is used for data transmission and provides a cost-effective solution for telcos, as they can use the same 5G network infrastructure to support both data and voice services in their networks. While VoNR has some similarities to VoLTE, it has many key differences as well.
Phones compatible with 5G SA
Free said 5G SA is available as of now and at no extra cost for subscribers on the 5G Free Mobile Plan. To get it, they need to have a compatible phone and activate the option in their online subscriber area. The operator already offers a range of phones that are compatible with 5G SA, including Samsung phones that have been tested by Free’s teams.
And despite the relatively slow deployment of 5G standalone networks, the overall number of devices is accelerating. According to the Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA), as of September, there are 1,906 announced devices with claimed support for 5G SA, up 55.3% from 1,227 at the end of 2022. Devices with support for 5G SA account for 68.1% of all 5G devices, as of the end of March 2024, up from 57.9% in December 2020.
In addition, 96 modems or mobile processors/platform chipsets state support for 5G SA, 93 of which are understood to be commercially available.
Source: https://www.mobileeurope.co.uk/free-rolls-out-nation-5g-standalone-network-in-france/