Orange Belgium selects Nokia for future mobile radio network
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Faye Sutton
| 10 October 2020
As part of its plan to fully upgrade its existing 2G/3G/4G mobile radio network by 2023, Orange Belgium has chosen Nokia for both the network renewal and the roll-out of 5G.

Orange SignIn a first step, Orange Belgium’s 5G radio network will be associated with its existing core network – provided by Ericsson – which is already able to work with the 5G radio infrastructure in NSA (non-standalone) mode. In parallel, Orange Belgium is preparing the future evolution of its core network to support 5G SA (standalone) to offer full 5G end-to-end functionalities in a second step.

Orange Luxembourg, a subsidiary of Orange Belgium, has also selected Nokia for the deployment of its 5G network. It hopes to have the first zones covered by 5G masts by the end of this year.

Tommi Uitto, president of Nokia Mobile Networks said: “We are proud to support Orange Belgium in building a cutting-edge single RAN and 5G network in Belgium. As the sole radio supplier for this 5G network evolving to standalone mode, we are providing Nokia’s AirScale radio covering the whole 3.5Ghz spectrum, offering ultra-broadband to Orange subscribers. Our single RAN technology also lowers the carbon footprint by supporting 3G, 4G and 5G radio units and thereby reducing the number of sites and antennas.”

Added Xavier Pichon, CEO of Orange Belgium: “We are thrilled to start a new partnership with Nokia to roll out a best-in-class, energy-efficient and future-proof mobile radio access network in Belgium, based on the core network provided by Ericsson, in order to ensure the best user experience for residential and business customers, be it on 2G, 3G, 4G or 5G.”