France’s biggest telco, Orange, has named Nokia and Ericsson as its launch partners for its new 5G network in France.
Orange has a huge international presence across Europe and Africa but France remains by far its biggest market. The deal will see Orange use Nokia’s network equipment in the southeast and western regions of the country, where Nokia is already involved in the Radio Access Network of Orange’s 3G and 4G networks.
Orange will use Ericsson’s 5G kit in the Ile de France region and in the northeast and southwest of the country, again building on the company’s existing 3G and 4G footprint.
“For Orange, the deployment of 5G represents a huge challenge and is one of the main priorities of our Engage 2025 strategic plan. We are delighted to be pursuing our partnerships with both Nokia and Ericsson, two key long-term partners, in order to develop a powerful and innovative 5G network. 5G will enable the development of new use-cases and new services, and will provide an enriched experience for our customers - both in the consumer and business segments. Through these agreements, Orange reaffirms its ambition to being network leader,” said Fabienne Dulac, deputy chief executive officer of Orange France.
Orange has 65.3 million 4G customers spread across Europe and Asia and has already kicked off 5G services in Romania. The company has not yet confirmed who it will partner with for forthcoming 5G launches in its other markets but is expected to announce its preferred network partners for Spain and Belgium in the coming months.
Source: https://www.commsmea.com/business/projects/21349-orange-picks-nokia-and-ericsson-for-5g-in-france