Nokia and TPG Telecom Launch World's First Live 5G SA at 700 MHz in Australia

On Monday, Nokia and TPG Telecom announced that they have launched a live 5G SA network in Australia on the 700 MHz band. This is also the first incident of such a network in the world.

Nokia Achieves another World First with a 5G SA network in Australia

This low band 5G, at 700 MHz, has the largest range of all 5G spectrum bands in Australia. As such, TPG Telecom said that it will allow it to provide wide outdoor 5G services. Moreover, it can provide deep indoor 5G coverage in urban and suburban areas to its customers.

Low band 5G goes further outdoor and deeper into buildings than existing 5G deployments and will allow operators to bring 5G to even more customers.

The companies said in a joint statement that under the partnership, Nokia will supply equipment to TPG Telecom. This includes its latest ReefShark-based AirScale product range. This further includes Nokia's triple band remote radio unit, that supports 700, 850 and 900 MHz bands. The companies also said that the unit will support 3G, 4G and 5G at the same time. TPG Telecom’s 5G SA service is now active in parts of Sydney.

Barry Kezik, Executive GM (Mobile and Fixed Networks), TPG Telecom, said, "we’re excited to be the first network in the world to realise the true potential of low band 5G SA at 700MHz".

Dr Robert Joyce, Chief Technology Officer at Nokia Oceania, said: “Nokia is proud to support another 5G world first. We have a long-standing partnership with TPG Telecom, and we have jointly developed our unique triple band radio solution specifically for them. Today we get to see the result of that joint effort and collaboration which will deliver premium wide area 5G SA coverage for TPG Telecom and its customers.”