By Juan Pedro Tomás

Nokia has been selected by Ecuadorian mobile operator, Corporación Nacional de Telecommunicaciones (CNT) to bring the first 5G network to the country, the Finnish vendor said in a release.

The deal includes Nokia support CNT’s extensive network modernization of existing LTE infrastructure as well as the installation of a 5G Non Standalone (NSA) network.

The vendor noted that the deployment of the new technology is currently underway.

The project stipulates the modernization of existing 3G/LTE infrastructure in the provinces of Guayas, Los Rios, Manabi, Bolivar, Morona Santiago and Santa Elena, which will be updated to enable the provision of 5G services.

As part of the agreement, Nokia will also deploy the first 5G NSA sites which will operate in the cities of Guayaquil and Manta. These first 5G sites will enable CNT to plan the services they want to launch with 5G, Nokia said.

The deal involves Nokia equipment from its AirScale portfolio. Nokia is also supplying its massive MIMO Adaptive Antenna and Micro Remote Radio Head (RRH) solutions. CNT also has deployed the Nokia AirFrame data center solution to support cloud-based applications necessary for future telco and IT networking.

Nokia said that it is helping to demonstrate a range of innovative 5G uses cases to CNT including 5G smartphones, fixed wireless access for 5G in the home, virtual reality enabled remote classroom, connected cars and industrial supervision with drones provided by geotechnology and umanned aerial solutions company Drone & Gis.

CNT is the biggest fixed telecom operator in Ecuador and also provides mobile services across the country.

CEO at CNT Martha Moncayo Guerrero said: “Being the only public telco company in Ecuador and market leaders in offering hyper-converged services, we are prepared for the deployment of 5G networks to provide a new future for Ecuadorians. With Nokia, we will be able to present the benefits of this fifth generation technology and show their impact on healthcare, education and industry, for the social and productive development of the country.”

Head of technology and strategy at Nokia Mobile Networks, Ari Kynäslahti, said: “We are proud to work on this ambitious network evolution plan together with CNT in Ecuador as its long-standing supplier and look forward to delivering compelling 5G experiences to enterprise, consumer and corporate businesses.”

Local operators CNT, Movistar and Claro had previously carried out technical trials of 5G in the cities of Guayaquil and Quito.

The government of Ecuador has not yet announced a timeline for the award of new frequencies for the provision of 5G technology in the country.