All major operators in Spain have switched on their 5G networks.
Telefonica switched on its 5G network
Telefonica announced on September 1st that it has switched on its Non-Standalone 5G network in unspecified Spanish locations. The network utilises 3.5GHz spectrum, alongside with refarmed 1800MHz and 2100MHz frequencies. Telefonica also announced it has awarded Finnish vendor Nokia the contract to increase 5G coverage up to 75% of the Spanish population by year-end 2020. This means that Nokia is the only vendor to supply 5G radio technology to all of Telefonica’s 5G operations across Europe.
In the meantime, Telefonica announced it will shut down both mobile (2G and 3G) and fixed (copper) networks.
Price plans are not available for customers on the Movistar’s website yet.
Orange Spain launches 5G in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville and Malaga
Orange Spain has launched 5G mobile services in selected parts of five cities, namely: Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville and Malaga, predominantly in central areas. Orange covers around 30% of each city and plans to expand rapidly to other cities. Orange customers can access the network free of charge with 5G-capable handsets.
The Ericsson Radio System, delivering Massive MIMO, powers the 3.6 GHz 5G network in Madrid and Barcelona. Ericsson also supplies Orange Spain with a 5G Evolved Packet Core to support the 5G New Radio non-standalone 5G network.
MASMOVIL launches 5G services
Grupo MASMOVIL has become the fourth Spanish operator to launch 5G services, after switching on connectivity in 15 cities. The 5G network is available in parts of Alicante, Alcobendas, Almeria, Avila, Barcelona, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Huesca, Jaen, Madrid, Malaga, Melilla, Orense, Salamanca, Seville and Valencia. Customers with a 5G-capable handset can access the network at no extra cost.
The carrier said that the 5G service is being offered via a combination of own infrastructure and an agreement with rival operator Orange. The deal gives MASMOVIL access to Orange Spain’s entire 5G network thanks to a “virtual active sharing mode” agreement, enabling it to deploy 5G in 4,500 locations that cover 35% of the Spanish population in 40 main cities. Orange will deploy 1,500 new sites through the end of 2021 throughout the country.
In a future phase, MASMOVIL announced it aims to launch its own 5G SA network with 80 megahertz of spectrum in the 3.4-3.8 GHz band.
Vodafone launched 5G services in mid-2019
Meanwhile, Vodafone Spain began offering 5G services in June 2019. As of the end of May, the operator had activated its 5G network in 21 cities across the country using its spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band. The company had previously said that it was working with Huawei and Ericsson in the deployment of the 5G network.
All major operators in Spain have switched on their 5G networks.
