DNA's 5G coverage expanded in the Turku region – mobile network traffic on the rise

DNA’s 5G network has expanded in Turku and the surrounding region. 5G connections are currently available in the city centre and in Hepokulta, Itäharju, Jäkärlä, Liljalaakso, Moisio, Nummi, Nättinummi, Runosmäki, Kaerla, Teräsrautela, and Pohjola. 5G connections have also been enabled in Raisio, Lieto, and Rusko.

“Construction of the 5G network has proceeded as planned, and DNA is also rapidly expanding the 5G network to additional areas in the Turku region. At the same time, we are consolidating the 4G network in the region in preparation for future needs. The current exceptional situation has increased the traffic on our mobile networks. Plenty of capacity has nevertheless been reserved for our networks, as our bandwidths are determined by readings taken during the highest spikes in peak use," says Jarkko Laari, Director of Radio Networks at DNA.

Early in the year, DNA’s 5G network will expand to other areas in theTurku region, and to new regions in the Helsinki metropolitan area, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Lahti, Kuopio, Vaasa, Hämeenlinna, Seinäjoki, Rauma, Pori, Heinola, Nokia, Ylöjärvi, Lempäälä and other areas in the Tampere region. DNA’s 5G services are currently available in Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Sipoo, Tampere, Turku, Raisio, Rusko, Lieto, and Hyvinkää.

Increases in data use during government briefings and the evening news

"With changes in remote working practices for many companies, mobile data use has increased by about a third over the course of a normal working day. We’re also seeing clear usage spikes across our networks during the government's press conferences at the start of the week and the evening news," Laari explains.

“Mobile network use increased further on Wednesday, the first day of nationwide school closure, which is natural as the number of people working remotely continues to grow. The current exceptional situation has also brought about a clear increase in speech traffic over the last few days," Laari continues.

At DNA, we have taken steps to ensure our networks have enough capacity to handle increasing usage spikes. We have also decentralised our network management system to different locations to ensure reliability.