Ericsson has signed a five-year contract with CETIN, a wholesale telecom infrastructure company, to support 5G business in the Czech Republic.
Ericsson will assist CETIN to modernization its existing legacy network to establish fast, ultra-high capacity 5G.

Ericsson is set to modernize more than 4,000 cellular sites across the full operational area of CETIN’s mobile network, covering two thirds of the Czech Republic, including the population-dense areas of Prague, Brno and Ostrava.

CETIN, whose customers include T-Mobile and Telefonica O2, is powering network providers in Czech to bring 5G-powered initiatives like connected utilities and healthcare to life, as well as huge opportunities for consumers such as AR/VR.

Juraj Sedivy, chairman of CETIN, said: “By partnering with Ericsson, we will build secure, and sustainable radio access resources for clients, largest commercial telecommunication operators in the country.”

According to a recent Analysys Mason report on 5G use cases, 5G will deliver EUR 3.718 billion of net benefits for the Czech GDP.

“This partnership will see a modernized mobile network with 5G capabilities that will enable crucial digital transformation for the country and give an economic boost that many need,” Arun Bansal, president and head of Europe and Latin America, Ericsson, said.

The five-year contract includes modernization of CETIN’s mobile network with Ericsson Radio System products and solutions for both 5G Standalone (SA) and 5G Non-Standalone (NSA). The solutions include Massive MIMO, Ericsson Spectrum Sharing, 5G New Radio (NR) Carrier Aggregation, and remote upgrade to 5G SA.

It also includes the Ericsson Antenna System which will boost coverage, capacity, and enable a more energy-efficient network operation. The 5G network contract, which takes effect immediately, will result in a 100 percent Ericsson-powered radio access network (RAN).