Three Sweden launches commercial 5G SA network

Looking to enable its users, in particular businesses, to benefit from advanced mobile connectivity capabilities, customers of communications service provider (CSP) Three Sweden can now to benefit from 5G Standalone (5G SA) connectivity.

Owned by CK Hutchison Holdings and Investor, Three Sweden offers voice and data services covering most of Sweden and it operates the digital-focused brand Hallon in the country. The CSP prides itself on its innovation and claims to be the first in Sweden with video calls and mobile broadband, focusing on data-hungry solutions.

In addition to enhancing mobile broadband services, the 5G SA network will aim to support Three Sweden’s enterprise market engagement strategy by providing differentiated connectivity through network slicing. Capabilities such as network slicing allow Three to tailor the network to specific applications, business-critical operations. and enterprise requirements, supporting advanced use cases across industry, the internet of things (IoT) and next-generation digital services. 

Designed for efficiency and scalability, 5G SA delivers significant improvements in energy efficiency per gigabyte compared to previous generations, helping to reduce environmental impact while meeting growing data demands.

5G SA fixed wireless access (FWA) broadband will be a focus area for Three Sweden, offering the CSP the ability to provide a mobile connectivity-enabled, high-speed, high-capacity and secure broadband alternative to laying cable for homes and businesses.

The network deployment will see Three Sweden consumer and business subscribers in urban areas able to gain expanded coverage, improved capacity, low latency, boosts in network speed and better connectivity user experiences.

To allow it to gain the advanced next-generation mobile connectivity capabilities it needs, Three Sweden’s 5G SA network comprises Ericsson cloud-native 5G Core and radio access network (RAN) solutions. Three Sweden and Ericsson trialled the 5G SA technology before moving to network deployment. The commercial launch followed in December 2025.

The launch of 5G Standalone network is a seen as a crucial step forward for Three Sweden in delivering enhanced services to customers, said Rajib Eklund, chief technology and information officer (CTIO) at the firm. “I am proud that we are the first in Sweden to be able to offer this,” he added. “Ericsson’s 5G technology allows us to significantly improve network efficiency and create tailored connectivity solutions to meet the diverse needs of Swedish businesses and people.”

Ericsson added that 5G SA introduces programmable, software-driven, cloud-native architecture that enables differentiated connectivity with defined performance characteristics for latency, reliability and capacity.

Niclas Backlund, head of Sweden and the Baltics at Ericsson, added: “We are proud to partner with Three Sweden to make their 5G Standalone strategy and vision a reality. Powered by Ericsson technology end-to-end, this deployment will help Three Sweden to drive productivity, sustainability, and innovation across sectors.”

The deal with Three Sweden is the latest in a series of 5G SA wins for the tech company. In December 2025, it inked a five-year framework agreement deal with Saudi Arabia’s largest telecoms operator STC Group to scale advanced 5G capabilities while laying the groundwork for future 6G services.

At the radio access level, STC plans to accelerate deployment of technologies such as 5G SA, 5G Advanced and Massive MIMO. Ericsson’s Radio System portfolio will form a core part of this expansion, building on existing sites and spectrum assets. Cloud-native architecture is another central theme of the agreement.