Telia planning to have its 5G network cover 95 pct on Estonia's population by end-2024

TALLINN – Telia's 5G network covered approximately 75 percent of the population of Estonia at the beginning of October, whereas by the end of next year, 5G coverage is planned to expand to nearly 95 percent of the population.

Andre Visse, chief technology officer at Telia Estonia, said the company has installed more than 500 5G base stations in Estonia, and expanding the 5G network and increasing its density is now one of the main priorities for the company. During 2023 alone, Telia has installed nearly 175 5G stations at various locations across Estonia.

"At present, Telia's 5G coverage area covers about three quarters of the Estonian population, and we have covered about 60 percent of the country's territory with 5G. As we are constantly expanding the 5G network, these numbers are rising every week," Visse said in a press release.

To build the 5G network, Telia has so far used four different frequency bands: 700 megahertz, 2,100 megahertz, 3,500 megahertz and 26 gigahertz. In the 26-gigahertz band, Telia clocked in a new 5G network speed record at the beginning of this summer -- 2.2 gigabits per second during download. 

According to the CTO, the 5G network is developed using different frequency bands to deliver the potential, quality and speeds enabled by 5G to customers in rural and urban areas alike.

"Different frequencies have different propagation characteristics, and when combined in the right way, the result is a high-quality network with a good user experience," he said, adding that the Telia operations in different countries are working together to develop 5G networks.

Compared to the beginning of this year, Telia's 5G network served three times more data in October. The number of customers using 5G phones in the  network of Telia hit almost 230,000 at the end of September. Thus, about a third of Telia's mobile customers have switched to a 5G device.

Visse added that already in the near future, the company plans to open the first ultra-fast over-the-air home internet pilot area, which has the technical prerequisites to start offering download speeds of more than 1 gigabit per second in the future.