T-Mobile and Nokia agree US$3.5bn 5G network deal

T-Mobile and Nokia have agreed a US$3.5 billion deal to accelerate the deployment of a nationwide 5G network in the US.

The pact, which was hailed by the companies as a “landmark agreement”, will see Nokia provide T-Mobile with its end-to-end 5G technology, software and services portfolio.

Nokia will help build T-Mobile’s nationwide 5G network with 600 MHz and 28 GHz millimeter wave 5G capabilities that are compliant with 3GPP 5G New Radio standards.

T-Mobile’s chief technology officer, Neville Ray, said that the deal “underscores the kind of investment we’re making to bring customers a mobile, nationwide 5G network.”

Nokia’s chief customer operations officer, Ashish Chowdhary, said: “Nokia and T-Mobile will advance the large-scale deployment of 5G services throughout the United States.”

“This is a testament to our companies’ strong and productive working relationship, one which has produced several important technological milestones in recent months, and which now allows us to make 5G a commercial reality.”

The companies said that, along with faster speeds and more connectivity, 5G will also help to enable on-demand virtual and augmented reality experiences, driverless vehicles, medical monitoring and advanced industrial automation services.