- Orange dodges Huawei for 5G roll out
- Ericsson and Nokia selected as tech partners
- “To develop a powerful and innovative 5G network,” says Orange boss
French operator Orange has selected Ericsson and Nokia as its 5G equipment suppliers as it aims to meet the deployment deadline of this year in France.
As long-term industrial partners of the Orange group the duo will “provide a package of products and services that will enable the deployment of 5G across the country,” it announced in a statement.
The deal also includes antennas and associated professional services.
The news comes after several months of testing and negotiations, with Orange confirming it opted against using Chinese vendor Huawei in favour of Nokia and Ericsson. The decision was reached amidst heightened political concerns about Huawei, with the US pressuring European allies to ban the vendor from 5G deployments.
Orange also declared that converged TV and video services were driving its business across its European subsidiaries and that all of them would have a 5G play by 2020.
Orange France Group deputy chief executive and CEO of Orange France Fabienne Dulac said: “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.”
- Read more: Interview with Patrice Slupowski, Orange
The partnership with Ericsson is focused on the Ile de France, North-East and South-West regions, zones where Ericsson already supplies 2G/3G/4G on the mobile network (RAN).
The partnership with Nokia is focused on the West and South-East regions of France, zones where Nokia already supplies 2G/3G/4G on the mobile network (RAN).–
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