Elisa sells the first 5G phone in the Nordic countries

Finland has officially entered the era of 5G, as the first 5G phone in the Nordic countries was sold to Harri Hellström today at Elisa Kulma. Finland is one of the most advanced countries in terms of adopting 5G.

Veli-Matti Mattila, the CEO of Elisa Corporation, handed over the first 5G phone in the Nordic countries to the customer at Elisa Kulma in Helsinki. The owner of the first 5G phone is a resident of Tampere, where one of the first Elisa 5G networks is located.

“I have always been into cutting-edge technology, and I have often been among the first to buy new devices. I feel wonderful about having the first 5G phone in the Nordic countries. I travel a lot in Finland and abroad, and I often rely on my mobile device for communication on the road. This is why fast connections are essential,” says Harri Hellström.

The phone handed over to the new owner is a ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G. Elisa is also taking pre-orders on 5G models from Huawei and OnePlus. Deliveries are estimated to begin by the end of July.

“Demand for 5G devices and subscriptions will increase as network coverage expands. 5G will revolutionise the way we use mobile devices beyond anything we have seen during previous technological evolutions. Fully utilising the benefits of a 5G network requires the use of 5G devices, which means demand will inevitably rise. We are continuously developing innovative 5G services and exploring ways of utilising 5G technology,” explains Antti Ihanainen, vice president for consumer subscription business.

Elisa has implemented 5G networks in Turku, Tampere and Jyväskylä. In Helsinki, the network is in the piloting and testing phase, with continuous optimisation taking place in order to ensure a high level of functionality. For users, testing may cause temporary limited network speeds compared to 5G speeds.

5G will increase data transfer capacity by ten times. This means that one 5G base station can serve many more users than is possible in current networks, which enables, for example, fast streaming of large videos. The benefits of 5G are particularly evident in gaming. With the development of mobile and cloud-based gaming, success requires that lag in players’ ability to react and in device functions is kept as short as possible.

Elisa Kulma is exhibiting the history of mobile phones in Finland

In honour of the first 5G phone in the Nordic countries, Elisa Kulma is exhibiting prominent mobile phones of the past. The crown jewel of the exhibition, which runs until 14th of July, is the 5G phone. 

“Elisa has always been a pioneer and has been among the first to introduce new devices and services to its customers. Now at the dawn of the 5G era, we are looking forward to everything that comes with the new technology,” says Ihanainen.

For more information, please go to: elisa.fi/5G

Elisa is a pioneer in telecommunications and digital services. We serve approximately 2.8 million consumer, corporate and public administration organisation customers, and have over 6.2 million subscriptions in our extensive network. Cooperation with Vodafone and Telenor, among others, enables globally competitive services. Our core markets are Finland and Estonia, and we also provide digital services for international markets. Elisa’s shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki. In 2018, our revenue was EUR 1.83 billion euros, and we employed 4,800 people. As a responsible Finnish market leader, our operations are guided by continuous improvement. Further information on www.elisa.com, Facebook (@elisasuomi) and Twitter (@ElisaOyj)