FILE PHOTO: Ericsson logo is seen at its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden June 14, 2018. REUTERS/Olof Swahnberg//File Photo
OSLO (Reuters) - Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson has been contracted to build a 5G network in Greenland, initially covering three towns, local phone company Tusass said on Friday.
Deploying Ericsson equipment and Netgear routers, Tusass will bring high-speed wireless internet to the sparsely populated island without resorting to expensive and hard-to-deploy cables, the company said.
A further 10 towns, including Greenland's capital Nuuk, are set to follow next.
Tusass said it plans to invest around 1 billion Danish crowns ($131.3 million) to secure and expand Greenland's infrastructure and improve communication.
Greenland, an island of just 56,000 people, is part of the Kingdom of Denmark but has broad autonomy.
($1 = 7.6155 Danish crowns)
(Reporting by Terje Solsvik)
