Interview: Challenges and collaboration

Telenor's network expert on the major investment in 5G along the Swedish railway

Telenor's 5G network covers more than 90 percent of the population, and one of several focus areas is now to improve coverage along Sweden's railway network.

Erik Mörner

Published 7 February 2025 - 11:36

We have spoken with Sara Kebert, network expert at Telenor, about the challenges and what the expansion means for Sweden's train passengers.

Sara Kebert is a network expert at Telenor.

How extensive is the investment in railway coverage, do you have any figures?

- It is a major expansion we have ahead of us. In our joint network company together with Tele2, the plan includes thousands of new base stations. We look at the whole picture, and new and modernized base stations and networks will benefit both the railway specifically and the overall experience.

Has coverage along Sweden's train routes been a low priority in the past?

- We have been working on coverage along the railway for a long time and are positive that it is being highlighted and that further improvements are being requested. More and more people are traveling by train and expect to be able to work efficiently during the journey. When the Swedish mobile networks were introduced, the mobile phone was mainly car-mounted, and therefore the focus was naturally on roads, but now we are actively working to build mobile networks and coverage everywhere our customers are.

PTS has set requirements for better coverage along the railway, a requirement that applies to all operators. Have you yourself seen specific problems in your network monitoring when it comes to coverage on trains?

- Our customers are quick to report if they discover white spots in the coverage, and we can see in our data if there are any problems.

Telenor's network expert on the major investment in 5G along the Swedish railway

Are there particular challenges in building mobile networks with good coverage along the train routes?

- Yes, several. Today, there are parts of the railway network where we do not even have access to the route, such as in tunnels, but we have an ongoing dialogue with the Swedish Transport Administration and cooperate with other operators. Then you also have to be aware that the radio signal must reach into the train carriages, but there has been a great improvement there.

PTS requirements mean that coverage along the railway lines should improve before the end of December 2030. When can we as customers start noticing that the coverage on the trains is getting better?

- The work is in full swing and we are not waiting, but working as fast as possible. We are collaborating with other operators when possible and would like to see the Swedish Transport Administration take initiatives regarding coverage in tunnels. If we can also use their existing infrastructure for efficiency's sake, it can further simplify things. However, one should still be aware that the work, especially building new masts, can take time, involving building permits, bringing in electricity and fiber connections, but we are not waiting and are working as quickly as possible.

With your existing 5G coverage at 90 percent of the population, what happens next?

- We continue the intensive modernization and expansion of the 5G network. As planned, we continue with the shutdown of the 2G and 3G networks, which should be completed before the end of the year, and this also means that the experience for customers will be better when the network is more uniform, especially when you move between base stations, whether you do it by car or train.

Among other operators, who are all facing the same coverage requirements, Tre has announced that they will build 105 base stations to specifically improve train coverage. Telia will build 50 base stations in 2025 and then aim for uninterrupted connectivity along Sweden's entire railway network by 2030.