Vodafone Spain and Ericsson revealed plans for a trial of a standalone (SA) 5G core, a move the vendor claimed as a market first expected to enable new use cases for the latest network technology.

The deal involves Vodafone’s Spanish unit using an Ericsson dual-mode core to test new use cases for 5G technology in the market, the vendor stated.

Ericsson added it would supply a multi-access, cloud-native platform which will support the latest network technology alongside previous generations.

It claimed the deployment was “the first pre-commercial” SA 5G core network in Spain.

The agreement is the latest made by one of Vodafone Group’s divisions with the vendor, as the operator makes moves to rollout SA 5G. Other agreements include a commercial deployment in a number of German cities.

Vodafone Spain network director Julia Velasco said the trial was “a critical step towards delivering the full potential of 5G service, as well as being crucial in enabling new and innovative use cases”.