Nokia and Claro have reportedly completed the first stage of Colombia’s ‘largest 5G deployment.’
The project was completed four months after Colombian authorities issued 5G licenses and is pitched as laying the ground for innovation across industrial sectors including transport, mining, energy and oil and gas.
Nokia is supplying indoor and outdoor kit from its AirScale portfolio including base stations, high-capacity Massive MIMO antennas and remote radio head (RRH) solutions. Nokia will also provide its MantaRay NM solution which provides network management and MantaRay SON for automated operations, network optimization and technical support services.
On top of the 1,000 5G sites Nokia has already set up, a further deal will see the deployment of another 400. The project provides 5G coverage in six of Colombia’s largest cities, with plans to cover another 14 cities throughout the year.
Nokia’s IP Anyhaul solution will provide mobile backhaul and fronthaul connectivity, based on FP5-based 7750 service routers and 7250 interconnect routers, with operational automation provided by the Network Services Platform (NSP). Claro will also deploy Nokia’s 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) platform to provide connectivity across its metro transport network to support traffic ‘from aggregation to concentration layers.’
“We are delighted to have our 5G network up and running in record time,” said Rodrigo de Gusmao, CEO, Claro Colombia. “5G connectivity is a game changer and its incredible speeds, security and capacity provides the platform to deliver next-level services to our customers as well as a range of industries. We are excited to continue our long-standing partnership with Nokia who will help us lead this 5G revolution.”
“We are proud to continue our long-standing partnership with Claro Colombia into the 5G era. The close collaboration of both companies was key to completing this project in record time. Together, we have built the foundations for spearheading the digital transformation in Colombia, which will benefit the society, its citizens and its businesses. Our industry-leading AirScale portfolio will underpin this change with premium-grade capacity, performance and coverage. I look forward to continuing this partnership in the years to come,” said Tommi Uitto, president of mobile networks at Nokia.
