2019-06-02

3 Sweden agrees to lease spectrum to Ukkoverkot for Swedish private LTE networks replacing TETRA & DECT

Source: Tre
Curated by: Gert Jan Wolf - Editor-in Chief for The Critical Communications Review

3 Sweden said it has signed an agreement to lease spectrum to Finnish operator Ukkoverkot for its development of private LTE networks for Swedish industry. Tre said this is the first time a commercial operator has rented out frequencies locally. There is demand for private LTE networks, said Tre, which are more stable than Wi-Fi and can replace Tetra and Dect on industrial sites. Tre's technology director, Per Stigenberg, said this is an example of how national operators can cooperate with businesses that need 4G capacity, and in future, 5G capacity.

Ukkoverkot provides private networks for customers in Finland such as Helsinki airport, Finavia, Konecranes and Sandvik. The deal with Tre will make spectrum use more efficient, the operator said. Stigenberg said setting aside a quarter of the 3.5 GHz band for local permits, as PTS is proposing in its consultation, would mean that large parts of the band would be idle, damaging Sweden as a 5G nation.

https://www.tre.se/privat/