The company said that 5G coverage will reach all the Netherlands by late July
VodafoneZiggo activated its 5G network in late April across more than half of the Netherlands. The company said that 5G coverage will reach all the Netherlands by late July.
In partnership with Ericsson, the operator implemented 5G services via its existing antennas and Dynamic Spectrum Sharing technology which allows operators to dynamically allocate some of their existing 4G LTE spectrum to 5G.
VodafoneZiggo customers with a Red (consumer) or Red Pro (business) subscription will have 5G access at no extra cost. Currently, four 5G devices are available: Samsung Galaxy S20 5G, S20 +, S20 Ultra and Oppo Find X2 Pro.
The company notes that the mobile data download speeds that 5G can offer using its existing spectrum reach a maximum of 1Gbps, although it adds that in practice the 5G data rates experienced by initial customers will be on average 10% higher than the 4G speeds (maximum of 350 Mbps) they were previously getting.
The nation’s first 5G spectrum auction is scheduled for June 2020. Licenses will allocate spectrum in the 700 MHz band and will include coverage obligations of 98% geographic coverage of all domestic municipalities. The 3500 MHz auction is planned for 2022 as the band is currently used for satellite communications. Spectrum at 3400-3450 MHz and 3750-3800 MHz is intended to be made available for local use.
