Proximus announced the selection of Nokia and Ericsson as its mobile network partners — indicating that it will not work with Huawei.
Proximus is making significant investment for enhancing its mobile network in Belgium to enhance customer experience as part of the #inspire2022 strategy announced at the end of March.
Proximus said it can renew its mobile network deal at a lower cost than anticipated in the framework of its #inspire2022 plan. The cumulative saving on Proximus’ 2021-2023 total mobile Capex projection is expected to be up to €80 million.
Proximus has selected Nokia to upgrade the Mobile Radio Access network (RAN) equipment.
Proximus has selected Ericsson as Proximus’ main partner for the modernization of its Mobile Data Core network.
“This new-generation equipment will enable Proximus to consolidate its position as the leader in mobile networks in Belgium and to build the 5G network of the future,” said Proximus CTO Geert Standaert.
Last year, Proximus started the process on the foreseen renewal of its Mobile RAN and Core equipment, with the objective to ensure its leading position in mobile networks, today and in the future.
For the RAN part, Nokia has been selected to progressively modernize Proximus’ existing 2G/3G/4G network by 2023. In parallel, Nokia will be a key partner in the deployment of the 5G network.
For the Mobile Data Core part, Ericsson has been selected as it stands out with its dual-mode 5G Core. This state-of-the-art solution is cloud native by design and supports 5G NR Stand-Alone (SA) and Non-Standalone (NSA), 4G, 3G and 2G technologies.
Proximus is the first and only operator in Belgium to launch a public 5G network. Proximus 5G is available at 110 different sites in 62 cities and municipalities, mainly in Flanders, with a further extension foreseen in the coming months.
Proximus explores the possibilities of 5G for industrial applications in different industries, supported by the temporary licenses allocated mid-summer by the regulator, and working with different partners including Port of Antwerp, Brussels Airport and public broadcaster VRT.
Proximus is launching a 5G innovation platform where it will collaborate with the different players in the market, both local and international, to develop relevant innovative solutions that answer today’s societal and business needs.
