A1 Group Selects Nokia as 5G Equipment Provider in Austria

VIENNA (Reuters) – Austrian telecommunications group A1 announced on Monday that it has chosen Nokia as a partner in the construction of new generation 5G mobile phone networks in the country, continuing a long-standing cooperation with the equipment supplier. Finnish.

The A1 group, controlled by Mexico's America Movil and the Austrian state, said Nokia would provide 5G wireless technology and cloud core network technology.

The 5G will provide ultra-fast connectivity and facilitate new applications from autonomous cars to medical robots.

The selection of suppliers for the new networks became a politically sensitive issue after the US lobbied Europe to exclude Chinese Huawei, saying its equipment could be used by Beijing for espionage. Huawei firmly rejected the charges and this month sued the US government over this.

The European Commission will urge EU countries to share more data to tackle cyber security risks related to 5G networks, but will not call for a ban on Huawei, sources told Reuters.

Nokia and the Swedish Ericsson are the main European competitors in the supply of 5G equipment.

"Together with Nokia, we will harness the full potential of 5G," said Marcus Grausam, general manager of A1 Austria.

"We rely on a long-standing and trusted partner with whom we have successfully implemented many major projects."

The A1 group agreed to shell out 64.3 million euros ($ 72.8 million) for spectrum in the 3.5 Ghz band of the first 5G auction in Austria earlier in the month. He said that he will finance this from his operational cash flow.