Danish operator TDC said it completed nationwide 5G deployment on December 1 after upgrading 3,800 mobile masts.
The carrier said that this makes Denmark the first Nordic country to have 5G service across the country.
“Every year, Danes’ consumption of mobile data increases by about 35-40%. The need for a fast mobile network has never been greater. It is therefore an important milestone in our work to connect Denmark that consumers, companies and municipalities across the country can now benefit from the opportunities that 5G opens up,” said Andreas Pfisterer, CEO of TDC NET.
Along with the 5G rollout, TDC said it has increased the speed of its 4G network by almost 50%.
The company said that over 50,000 users already have access to the 5G network, and that 5G now represents approximately 1% of TDC NET’s total mobile traffic.
TDC initially launched 5G in September, using frequencies in the 3.5 GHz spectrum band. Initial deployments included the major Danish cities of Copenhagen, Odense, Aarhus and Helsingør.
TDC began deploying 5G infrastructure on Zealand, Denmark’s largest and most populous island, in October 2019. Since then, almost 3,000 base station sites have been equipped with Ericsson’s 5G technology throughout Denmark.
Ericsson’s 5G partnership with TDC Denmark includes Radio Access Network products and solutions from Ericsson Radio System and core solutions from Ericsson’s 5G Core portfolio.
In March 2019, Ericsson was chosen by TDC for the rollout of commercial 5G, including managed services, as part of a major network overhaul.
In December 2019, Ericsson provided 5G network equipment for a pilot network that was launched by TDC in the city of Helsingør, Denmark. The 5G pilot network used a 3.5 GHz test license.
Nordic operators Telia and Telenor, who operate shared mobile infrastructure in Denmark, launched 5G in September.
Telia and Telenor also announced that the first cities to get 5G were Copenhagen and Aalborg. Following this initial activation, the two companies said they will upgrade additional existing sites.
Telia and Telenor will continue with the rollout of 5G technology in the cities of Aarhus and Odense.
The two partners also said that the network modernization and 5G rollout will continue gradually over the coming years as the 5G frequencies becomes commercially available in Denmark.
Denmark completed the auction of spectrum in the 700 MHz, 900 MHz and 2.3 GHz bands in April 2019.
The local telecom regulator also expects to award spectrum in the 3.5 GHz and 26 GHz bands for 5G later this year.
