Espoo, Finland – Nokia today announced that it has been selected by A1 Austria to provide comprehensive 5G coverage across the country in a multi-year contract. The deal, which will support A1 Austria’s efforts to be a market leader, will see Nokia supply 5G radio access and core network services. The deployment of products and services is underway with the core element expected to be rolled out in the first half of 2021.

Nokia will supply A1 with its AirScale portfolio including 5G RAN, AirScale base stations, and Nokia AirScale radio access products. These solutions will enable A1 Austria to deliver incredible connectivity and capacity benefits to their consumer and business subscribers.

A1 will also launch 4G and 5G network slicing commercially following a successful pilot. The solution will support connectivity from 4G and 5G devices over the sliced network to applications running in private and public clouds. The slicing continuity between the networks allows operators to maximize their network coverage for new mobile connectivity services and deliver new value and business opportunities.  

Nokia has a long-standing partnership with A1 which has included the successful expansion of 3G and 4G mobile networks and the rollout of Austria's largest fiber-optic network. Nokia and A1 Austria have also successfully deployed a number of private wireless campus networks in Austria, including installations at Magna Steyr, Vienna Airport, and 5G Playground Carinthia. 

Marcus Grausam, CEO, A1 Austria said: “Our ambition is to ensure Austria enters the digital era with the best connectivity underpinned by our 5G network. With Nokia as our partner, we have already worked side by side on many successful projects and we had no hesitation in continuing our collaboration to ensure that we realize the full potential of 5G technology.”

Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks, Nokia, said: “We are delighted to extend our long-standing partnership with A1 Austria into the 5G era by supplying our RAN and core technology. We have already worked collaboratively with A1 on a number of exciting projects and we take this expansion project as an affirmation that our technology is best-in-class. We look forward to embarking on this next journey as their trusted partner.”