Deutsche Telekom struck a deal with Ericsson to deploy the Swedish vendor’s 5G RAN and spectrum sharing solutions across Germany, a move announced weeks after the operator denied a strengthened 5G partnership with rival Huawei.

In a statement, Deutsche Telekom said it selected Ericsson after the vendor had successfully modernised its 2G, 3G and 4G networks, and it will now use its radio equipment for 5G RAN deployment “for efficient and speedy rollout”.

The partnership will also extend to Ericsson’s Spectrum Sharing Solution, which Deutsche Telekom said will allow it to manage 4G and 5G traffic in its network “through efficient use of existing spectrum, enhancing coverage, performance and mobility”.

Claudia Nemat, board member for innovation and technology at Deutsche Telekom (pictured), pointed to its long-standing partnership with Ericsson as a major factor in pushing ahead in 5G with the vendor.

“After the reliable and on-time modernisation, the bar for 5G rollout in the antenna network is naturally also high,” she said.

Huawei frozen out
News of the partnership comes after Deutsche Telekom rubbished a media report earlier this month stating it had deepened its network supplier partnership with Huawei for 5G.

In response to an article by German newspaper Handelsblatt, Deutsche Telekom pointed to its multi-vendor strategy, but added it had cut down business with Huawei since 2017.

Germany remains an opportunity for Huawei, as it has not yet followed countries like the US, Australia and more recently the UK in imposing bans on the Chinese vendor’s 5G involvement.

Authorities in Germany are expected to finalise component rules for 5G networks in the country in September.