Telecommunications provider Iliad is preparing to roll out 5G in 2020, and has announced that Nokia will be leading the push by delivering the network deployment. Nokia also partnered with Iliad for both 3G and 4G networks, however, this didn’t make it a straightforward decision. Nokia’s shares have been falling this year and the news certainly is a very positive thing for the company.
- Check out the latest 5G stocks news for 2019
Furthermore, Iliad has a huge consumer base with 13.4 million mobile customers in France and 3.3 million in Italy. The company are certainly happy with Nokia’s work as they claim that the 4G network in France is “state-of-the-art”.
“Clear choice for European technology”
Iliad has great confidence in Nokia, acknowledging them by stating that the company is "a clear choice for European technology and strategic independence". This could have a negative knock-on effect for other providers such as Huawei. As the US attempts to persuade other countries to avoid the company, France has voiced concerns surrounding the provider.
Iliad certainly appears to be confident in its decision as it moves toward its goal of delivering mobile connectivity to 17 million people. If all goes well, Iliad will be able to connect to more customers and meet the needs of companies following its launch of B2B operations.
However, on the back of losing 92,000 mobile and internet customers in the second quarter of this year, it certainly won’t be plain sailing.
But the company’s turnover remains consistent at £2.3bn ($2.7bn) during the first half of the year. Perhaps the launch of 5G in France and Italy next year will give both Iliad and Nokia the boost they need to pique the interest of wavering investors.
