Cellnex Poland has named Ericsson as one of its suppliers for a wide-ranging modernisation and expansion of its radio access network, a deal that puts three Ericsson products into their first Polish or lead-customer deployments.

The contract covers radios, RAN compute modules, microwave links, antennas and enclosures. Cellnex Poland, which manages towers, masts and active network equipment across the country, will use the kit to upgrade the active infrastructure that lets Polkomtel — which trades as Plus, one of Poland's mobile operators — deliver connectivity to end customers.

What equipment is being deployed?

The agreement introduces several Ericsson products to the Polish market for the first time, and one to the world:

• MINI-LINK 6356: Cellnex becomes Ericsson's lead customer for this high-power microwave E-band radio, designed to deliver high-capacity backhaul with improved power efficiency.
• Transport Automation Controller: Cellnex is running the first large-scale deployment of this system for microwave backhaul, which Ericsson says brings AI-driven automation to network management.
• AIR 3229: The dual-band TDD Massive MIMO radio makes its Polish debut, combining C band and 2600 TDD spectrum in a single unit to cut tower footprint and speed up 5G rollout.

Cellnex has also selected the Ericsson Energy & Enclosure platform, an integrated site-energy offering that combines high-efficiency power systems, intelligent energy storage and advanced enclosures.

Why does energy efficiency feature so prominently?

A significant part of the deal's rationale is power consumption and physical load. The equipment is equipped with the Ericsson Silicon range of system-on-chip technology, which Ericsson says supports improved energy performance, a lower physical footprint and reduced tower load compared with earlier equipment generations.

That aligns with the Cellnex Group's sustainability commitments, and matters commercially for a tower company: lighter, smaller and more efficient kit means more tenants and services per site.

Ericsson claims the modernisation will expand coverage, increase speeds and enhance reliability while reducing site footprint and energy consumption — claims that, as with any vendor announcement, will be tested against actual deployment results.

What does the operator say?

Leszek Lis, Director for Operations and Member of the Management Board of Cellnex Poland, set out the reasoning behind the deal. "The growing demand for mobile data transfer requires not only the modernisation of active equipment. It also needs an increase in quantity to densify the service while, at the same time, improving energy efficiency, equipment optimisation, network resiliency and environmental effects," he said.

"Ericsson's devices and technology will allow us to achieve these goals. By introducing the latest generation of equipment, we are modernising the network that will enable Plus to offer even more advanced, reliable and secure services in the era of 5G and other coming technologies."

His framing makes clear that the project is as much about adding sites and capacity as about swapping old boxes for new ones — data growth at Plus requires densification, not just replacement.

What happens next?

The rollout will unfold across Cellnex Poland's national footprint, with the new dual-band radios, microwave backhaul and site-energy platform feeding into the network that serves Plus subscribers as Poland's 5G era advances.