Nokia and Claro have successfully concluded the first phase of Colombia’s most extensive 5G rollout, establishing 1,000 sites across the nation. This achievement came just four months after Colombian authorities granted 5G licenses, marking a significant step toward enhancing various industrial sectors, including transport, mining, energy, and oil and gas.
Nokia’s contribution to the project includes its AirScale portfolio, which features both indoor and outdoor equipment like base stations, high-capacity Massive MIMO antennas, and remote radio head (RRH) solutions. Additionally, Nokia is supplying its MantaRay NM for network management and MantaRay SON for automated operations, network optimization, and technical support services.
Building on the initial 1,000 sites, a further agreement will expand the deployment by 400 additional sites. The current infrastructure provides 5G coverage in six major Colombian cities, with plans to extend service to 14 more cities throughout the year.
The project also integrates several Nokia software solutions, including a fully automated 5G Core, Nokia Assurance Center for automated network decision-making, NetGuard Cybersecurity Dome, and NetGuard Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) for threat detection and incident response.
Nokia’s IP Anyhaul solution is crucial for mobile backhaul and fronthaul connectivity, utilizing FP5-based 7750 service routers and 7250 interconnect routers, with operational automation managed by the Network Services Platform (NSP). Claro will also deploy Nokia’s 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) platform to ensure connectivity across its metro transport network, supporting traffic from aggregation to concentration layers.
Rodrigo de Gusmao, CEO of Claro Colombia, expressed excitement about the swift deployment, highlighting the transformative potential of 5G connectivity for providing high-speed, secure services to customers and various industries. Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, emphasized the strong collaboration between Nokia and Claro as key to the project’s rapid completion and its role in driving Colombia’s digital transformation.
