According to figures quoted by Nokia, the roll-out will provide coverage to 90 per cent of the country’s population by the end of 2023. The company will provide its latest 5G RAN technology across a large part of the rollout, while also simultaneously upgrading 4G on the network.
Nokia will be using products from its AirScale radio portfolio, which – again according to the company – “have the potential to help deliver up to ten times faster data speeds, while consuming much less energy than earlier generations of network equipment.”
Discussing the project, Spark general manager of value management, Rajesh Singh, said: “We’re immensely excited to provide the foundation that we believe will support Kiwi businesses across a range of industries.
“We’re also pleased to be upgrading parts of our 4G network to support the unprecedented increase in demand for data we are seeing each year. We look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with our partner Nokia on this exciting next phase of our 5G rollout.”
Nokia has already worked with Spark on several projects, including delivery of 5G RAN, IP, core, and optical transport.
Earlier this year, network operator Spark made Eden Park the first 5G-connected stadium in the country. The service launched on 24 April, the date of Eden Park's first ever concert, performed by SIX60.
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