Mubasher: Norway’s state-controlled Telenor chose Sweden’s network equipment giant Ericsson as the main provider for its fifth-generation (5G) network, the telecoms company said on Friday.

The Swedish telecoms firm will develop and build Telenor’s 5G radio access network (RAN), which will take from four to five years, Norway’s biggest telecoms provider said on its website.

The Norwegian operator will use gear sourced from the existing RAN vendor, Chinese tech behemoth Huawei to maintain the 4G network and upgrade to next-generation coverage in several areas in the Scandinavian country.

“When selecting the vendor for the radio access network, we have considered important factors like technical quality, ability to innovate and modernise the network, commercial terms and conditions, as well as carried out an extensive security evaluation,” Telenor’s CEO Sigve Brekke said.