STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Telecoms operator Tele2 will partner with Finland’s Nokia for the deployment of its 5G core network in Sweden and the Baltics, it said on Monday.
The Swedish company said that the new core infrastructure will support both 4G and 5G connectivity, allowing higherspeeds and lower latencies.
“We are proud to be expanding on our long-standing relationship with Tele2 as we move into the 5G era,” Raghav Sahgal, President of Nokia Cloud and NetworkServices, said in a statement.
Sweden, home to Nokia’s rival Ericsson, said in October it would ban China’s Huawei and ZTE from its 5G rollout due to security risks.
European countries have been tightening controls on Chinese firms building 5G networks following pressure from Washington, which alleges Huawei equipment could be used by Beijing for spying. Huawei has repeatedly denied being a national security risk.
The Chinese company last week appealed against a court decision that allowed Swedish telecoms regulator PTS to resume 5G spectrum auctions.
Tele2 has previously used Huawei as a supplier in its 4G network.
(Reporting by Helena Soderpalm; Editing by Simon Johnson)