The 5G services in Taiwan will be in the 3.5 GHz band are expected to be launched this summer
Taiwanese mobile operator Far EasTone (FET) has selected Ericsson to be its 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) vendor in a deal that will span all of FET’s spectrum assets in the low, mid and high bands. The operator’s first commercial 5G services will be in the 3.5 GHz band and are expected to be launched sometime this summer.
According to Chee Ching, president of FET, the 5G-ready core and transport infrastructure are already implemented.
Ching also stated in a press release that using Ericsson for 5G services will reduce the complexity of the migration for 4G to 5G, because the operator was already working with Ericsson as the sole vendor for its 4G LTE network.
As part of the rollout, Ericsson Spectrum Sharing and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered radio access network solutions will be deployed. The Ericsson Spectrum Sharing will help FET to allocate spectrum assets efficiently based on traffic demand using existing infrastructure, while the AI-driven software capabilities will increase 5G coverage and 4G performance, said the company.
Chafic Nassif, head of Ericsson Taiwan, commented, “By working closely with FET, we will help bring the competitive innovative benefits of 5G, IoT, AI and the Cloud to FET’s consumer and business customers as Taiwan embraces the digital society.”
In 2016, FET and Ericsson signed a 5G Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which, among other things, established 5G Lab in New Taipei City in Taiwan and allowed for the two entities to collaborate and promote the evolution of 4G to 5G technology in academic institutions, public offices, industry bodies and enterprises.
Last month, FET revealed that its heavy investment in 5G would hit its 2020 bottom line, but it also expects those investments to largely pay off once rollout is underway.
During the Taiwan 5G spectrum auction in January, which raised $4.6 billion, FET walked away with 80 MHZ of 3.5 GHz spectrum for TWD 40.6 billion and 400 MHz in the 28 GHz band for TWD 412 million.
