Taiwan Mobile selected Nokia as sole supplier of its 5G RAN and core equipment for its non-standalone (NSA) network, with plans to move to standalone within three years.

The €400 million deal also involves deploying cloud and security services, along with network optimisation and management software for the RAN and core gear.

In a statement, Nokia Mobile Networks president Tommi Uitto explained the vendor had “a long-standing partnership with Taiwan Mobile, supporting them in the delivery of 2G, 3G, 4G networks.”

Jamie Lin, Taiwan Mobile president, said it will work with Nokia to promote its Super 5G Strategy, “which integrates multiple vertical applications” spanning smart e-commerce, stadiums, healthcare and manufacturing.

“This approach is designed to build a thriving ecosystem that will create new possibilities for every user and enterprise in the 5G era.”

Earlier this month, Taiwan Mobile became the third major operator in the country to secure a 5G operating licence, aiming to deploy 4,000 base stations by the year-end. It forked out TWD30.4 billion ($1 billion) on 60MHz of 3.5GHz spectrum and TWD206 million for 200MHz of 28GHz at an auction in January.

Market leader Chunghwa Telecom selected Ericsson and Nokia as 5G RAN vendors, while Far EasTone named Ericsson as a RAN supplier: both plan commercial NSA launches next month.