The operation of the 5G test zone in the Kazan subway has been extended until mid-2022. The latest drive tests on site showed that peak data downloads exceed 4000 Mbps. In June 2021 Tele2 together with CPM system integrator, Cisco and Nokia, launched a 5G pilot zone at all underground stations of the Kazan subway. As part of the project a dedicated fifth-generation network infrastructure based on a Cisco solution packet core and a Nokia radio subsystem was deployed.

Cisco has implemented CUPS, a technology for separating control planes and transferring user data, which allows to achieve consistently high download speeds. Based on this solution Tele2 built highly scalable distributed core networks with the ability to move the data and application plane to the network edge, ensuring minimal connection speed / network delays. The joint team of specialists was quick and efficient in solving the many non-standard technical tasks on integrating the test zone into the existing infrastructure of the telecom operator. The launch of the 5G network in such a complex infrastructure facility was implemented with the support of the government of the Republic of Tatarstan.

Today Tele2 subscribers that own smartphones with 5G support and for whom Tatarstan is their home region can test ultra-high-speed Internet at all underground stations of the Kazan subway. Subscribers of other mobile operators can test the speed of the 5th generation technology at the Kremlevskaya station. To connect one needs to select the “Tele2WiFi5G” network in the Wi-Fi access settings. The 5G network works both on the platform and near the station’s entrances.

Ravil Khaibullin, Director of the macro-region "Volga" at Tele2 says: “The results of the first stage of testing show the stable interest of users in the new technology; subway passengers are actively used 5G. There are currently no fifth-generation commercial networks in Russia and device penetration is still low. However, it is already possible to evaluate the possibilities of the new communication standard, both in terms of subscriber activity and the needs of business and government entities. This is especially true in connection with the exponential growth of mobile Internet consumption on the current 4G infrastructure.”

Connected links: ITNews Kommersant

CPM has partnered with 6WIND, a French provider of virtualized, cloudified, distributed high performance & secure networking software solutions to support new applications such as 5G, IoT, SD-WAN.

6WIND software is deployed globally, allowing customers to replace expensive hardware with flexible software solutions for routing and end to end security use cases. Through its product portfolio, 6WIND delivers software solutions to address applications like Telemedicine, AI, RPA, Automation, Machine Learning, Smart City, etc.

NetNumber (Massachusetts, USA) has become CPM’s new partner, opening access to a line of centralized signaling and routing controll (CSRC) solutions The partner has a depth of knowledge and accomplishment in software-based signaling management, orchestration, cloud and security that helps customers future-proof their infrastructure.

NetNumber aids in digital transformation of global telecom operators by ensuring InterGENerational™ Network Performance with the industry’s first cloud-native CSP platform with concurrent support for 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G.