Ericsson takes core 5G tech to Taiwan, Faroe Islands operators

Asia Pacific Telecom (APT) has tapped Swedish comms provider Ericsson to launch what will be Taiwan’s first 5G non-standalone multi-operator core network, modernising its LTE nets in Taiwan with a 5G non-standalone multi-operator core network (MOCN).

Earlier this year, Ericsson secured the contract with APT to modernise its island-wide 4G LTE networks and to deploy the 5G NSA MOCN. Through the collaboration, APT was said to have been able to launch 5G MOCN within six months, marking a milestone in Taiwan’s 5G development.     

In September 2020, APT announced a collaboration with fellow Taiwanese communications service provider Far EasTone Telecom (FET) to provide 5G services on Taiwan’s 3.5GHz frequency band with MOCN. Being the first of its kind in Taiwan, the MOCN collaboration allows two core networks to share the same radio access network (RAN) and bandwidth on 5G technology.

In shared spectrum and network infrastructure, APT is able to deploy 5G promptly and shorten new service time-to-market while significantly increasing 5G nationwide coverage, delivering higher throughput and enhanced subscriber experience. Ericsson also supplied Network Manager, OSS migration services and upgrade to APT.  

The network went live in August 2021 with APT’s RAN equipment replaced with Ericsson’s high-performing RAN systems from its 5G-ready Ericsson Radio System portfolio as well as 5G NSA licences for 5G MOCN. APT can now operate dynamically between 4G and 5G networks, enabling, said Ericsson, new, flexible and efficient ways to share network infrastructure and reduce a significant amount of capital expenditure and energy consumption to meet the sustainability commitment.

“APT is pleased to work with Ericsson to deploy the first 5G MOCN in Taiwan within half a year,” said Nan Ren Huang, president of Asia Pacific Telecom. “APT will provide subscribers a premium 5G experience with high-speed connectivity, powered by the spectrum and network-sharing architecture in 3.5GHz frequency band with 80MHz bandwidth.

“APT will continuously invest in the 5G networks and ecosystem while leveraging the vertical industry knowhow to address the demand for individual, family, enterprises and government, to empower a 5G-driven economy.”

Meanwhile, on the Faroe Islands, the territory’s leading and incumbent communications service provider Faroese Telecom (Føroya Tele) will use Ericsson technologies to fully modernise its network. The deal is a significant step towards unlocking the full potential of 5G services and use cases across the Faroes’ 18 remote rocky, volcanic islands between Iceland and Norway in the North Atlantic Ocean, covering an area of 1,400km² with a population of more than 53,000.

With the islands connected by bridges, tunnels, subsea tunnels and ferries, Faroese Telecom is striving to provide mobile signal anytime, anywhere, including deep underground.

As well as serving vessels and fishing boats offshore through better coverage, lower latency and higher speeds, the 5G network will be combined with internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to enable new use cases and bolster sustainability efforts in the region. This will include safety improvement, autonomous navigation, route monitoring for fuel volume control and gas emissions.

“Faroese Telecom has high ambitions for the network,” said Jan Ziskasen, CEO at Faroese Telecom. “We are aiming at world-class coverage, speed and capacity. The Faroe Islands is one of the best-connected countries in the world with 97.2% geographical coverage of 4G reaching even 100km out to sea. With Ericsson as our strategic partner, we will enable the next generation of innovation and more capacity in the network to achieve our goal of 100% geographic coverage – a demanding task given the geography and terrain of the Faroe Islands.

“The newest subsea tunnel, Eysturoyartunnilin, is 11km long and 187m deep and even has a roundabout. After the modernisation, this will be the first undersea tunnel where you can roam on 5G while driving on a roundabout under the surface of the North Atlantic Ocean.”

The roll-out of 5G and the full modernisation of Faroese Telecom’s current 4G network will tap Ericsson’s 5G RAN and core products and solutions, including the Ericsson Radio System portfolio that covers Massive MIMO and Ericsson Antenna System. Deployment will commence immediately and is expected to be completed in 2023.