Reports have surfaced indicating that Nokia is on the brink of finalizing a significant deal with Portuguese mobile network operator MEO to deploy 5G radio access network (RAN) infrastructure. The move comes as MEO currently relies on Huawei equipment for its RAN operations.
As Portugal’s telecom operator Nos marks two years of 5G services, it declares readiness to launch services on a new 5G standalone infrastructure. Despite the slower than expected progress, Nos’s move signifies a key contribution to the sector. Intriguingly, the viability and potential benefits of this new infrastructure remain a matter of debate. With collaborations with Nokia and Ericsson, Nos envisions a surge in ultra-low latency services.
Spanish wireless infrastructure giant Cellnex Telecom has acquired the Portuguese telecommunications tower and site operator OMTEL, owned by Altice Europe and Belmont Infra Holding. This agreement is worth around EUR 800 million, and the acquisition includes the projected deployment of 400 new mobile cell sites in the next four years, adding to the 3,000 sites that OMTEL currently operates in Portugal. Cellnex said that to facilitate the upcoming 5G roll-out in Portugal, the company has been rapidly expanding, and its build-to-suit (BTS) program could involve constructing a further 350 sites for third parties by 2027. The estimated investment for this BTS plan is expected to be EUR 140 million. The Spanish towerco anticipates that this acquisition will increase the company’s sales backlog by EUR 2.5 billion to EUR 38.5 billion. Tobias Martinez, CEO of Cellnex, said, “With OMTEL, we are not only integrating one of the leading independent…
