Through SFR, France's second-largest operator, Altice France will develop its 5G Standalone Network and Private 5G Networks in partnership with Nokia. As a part of the same, SFR and Nokia signed a strategic agreement to deploy the 5G Standalone (SA) Network. The cloud-native 5G Core Network will be deployed in 2023 and will revolutionize business and general consumer use cases, says SFR.
SFR 5G Private Network
Nokia will also support SFR in the deployment of private 5G networks through the end-to-end Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) 5G solution.
Also Read: Explained: Differences Between 5G NSA and SA
Hybrid Private Network
SFR will also offer a "Hybrid" private mobile network solution (Hybrid Private Network) for customers looking for both an isolated architecture (high latency requirements, speeds or security) and a virtual architecture for the needs of employees who would like to have national coverage.
SFR Announces 5G in 9 New Towns
SFR continues with its 5G Network deployments and, in its latest 5G rollout, announces 5G Network in 9 new towns in Maine-et-Loire. SFR is the first telco to launch 5G services in France and now covers more than 60 per cent of the population. As part of its countrywide 5G deployment, SFR is continuing to expand 5G in Maine-et-Loire and now covers nine new towns: Beaucouze, Beaulieu-sur-Layon, Blou, Corze, Hauts-dAnjou, Le Lion-dAngers, Maulevrier, Rives-du-Loir-en-Anjou and Rou-Marson. SFR said it would continue 5G Network deployments throughout 2023. SFR currently provides 5G services in more than 6,600 municipalities across France.
Also Read: Bouygues Telecom Launches New 5G Box With Enhanced Performance
First Operator to create 5G SA Network Slicing in Real Conditions
SFR became the first operator to deploy a Network slicing 5G SA service in real-world conditions. SFR has already tested the Network Slicing service at the end of 2022 with Nokia and the group's media teams at the Altice Campus. This Network slicing use case is essential for journalists for live reporting. A 'Slice' or sub-network is reserved for them to cater to their needs by simulating conditions.
Closure of 2G and 3G Networks
SFR plans to shut down 2G and 3G networks, launched in 1991 and 2000, respectively, in the year 2026 and 2028. The telco has decided to reallocate the radio frequencies of 2G and 3G networks to its 4G and 5G networks for more throughput and capacity of new generation networks.
