Canadian operator Telus has announced that it is advancing its 5G Standalone (5G SA) network across the country, making it available from coast to coast. Telus has partnered with Ericsson to launch and optimise its 5G Standalone network, which will benefit from Ericsson's cloud-native dual-mode 5G Core solution. Reportedly, this partnership enables Telus to offer its customers the most advanced 5G services with ultra-low latency and even faster speeds.
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Telus 5G SA
Ericsson said the 5G technology is designed to scale for the future and support a massive number of connected devices. Telus noted that the 5G SA network offers reduced latency, improved efficiency, optimised spectrum utilisation, and enhanced reliability. These advancements will not only transform how Canadians use their connected devices but also open the door to a wider array of applications for consumers, IoT applications, enterprises, and public safety.
Future-Ready Infrastructure
Additionally, with support for Network Slicing, 5G SA will enable Telus and its customers to allocate parts of the network for specific use cases, empowering Canadian businesses to harness the potential of 5G technologies.
"This network is purpose-built to power the 5G ecosystem," said Telus Networks. "Our new standalone network provides never-before-seen speeds and low latency to enable the next generation of 5G edge computing and IoT technologies for entire industries and organisations. From autonomous vehicles to enhanced public safety and healthcare technologies, the TELUS 5G standalone network will provide the underlying connectivity to supercharge Canadian innovation."
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Spectrum Acquisition
This development follows Telus securing critically important 3800 MHz spectrum licenses, as reported by TelecomTalk in December 2023. Telus acquired new 3800 MHz spectrum licenses nationwide at a cost of CAD 620 million during the recent ISED 3800 MHz auction.
As of November 2023, Telus now holds an average of 72 MHz of 3800 MHz spectrum nationally, and combined with the 3500 MHz spectrum obtained in 2021, Telus has around 100 MHz of 5G mid-band spectrum nationally. Telus, at the time of the announcement, said it now has the largest contiguous 5G channels nationwide.
