Dtac, a part of Telenor Group, has selected Nokia as its 5G RAN partner in a three-year deal covering the North and North Eastern regions of Thailand.
Nokia will now provide 5G connectivity that will support the country’s efforts to digitize as part of its Thailand 4.0 economic strategy. The deployment is expected to begin later this year with completion expected in 2022.

The deal, which is an extension of Nokia’s existing partnership with dtac, will see an accelerated large-scale deployment of 5G on low-band spectrum (700-900Mhz) and high-capacity mmWave technology (26GHz), as well as enhancements of the existing networks utilizing 2300MHz, 2100MHz and 1800MHz spectrum.

The deal includes digital deployment for faster time to market, as well as optimization services, Nokia said on Monday.

Nokia will provide its AirScale Radio Access solutions for 4G and 5G networks that will improve network performance while enabling dtac to deliver 5G experience.

dtac will deploy Nokia Software’s NetAct Cloud network management system, which delivers tools for troubleshooting, administration, software management and configuration management.

Nokia has previously provided its first commercial 4G TDD network in Thailand. Nokia has also provided solutions from its IP/Optical portfolio to bolster its network including a software-defined network (SDN)-ready IP/Optical network.

Prathet Tankuranun, chief technology officer at dtac, said: “Our deployment leverages 5G-enhanced mobile broadband and 5G-ready Massive MIMO technology to bring coverage and higher data capacity to our customers nationwide.”

Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, said: “AirScale portfolio offers a clear migration path to 5G and we look forward to supporting dtac with its efforts to deliver compelling 5G experiences to subscribers.”