Telefónica has switched on its 5G network in Spain and targets to cover 75% of the population by the end of the year, announced the company in a statement.
Telefónica, which will launch offers for both private and corporate customers, is committed to the numerous direct and indirect cross-cutting benefits that 5G brings to key sectors such as transport, tourism, energy, the car industry and healthcare.
Telefónica said it operates with the latest radio generations that allow dual 4G and 5G usage, with the aim of bringing 5G to the highest number of people from the outset. This first phase will witness the launch of the 5G network, thanks to a technology that combines the deployment of NSA (non-standalone) 5G and DSS (Dynamic Spectrum Sharing) and the subsequent immediate deployment of the SA (standalone) 5G network when the technology becomes fully available after standardisation.
This initial deployment will also make use of the current sites and infrastructure and, in the mid and long terms, it will be complemented by new base stations and small cells as the capacity and coverage require.
The 3.5 GHz band frequency (the only 5G band frequency already licensed to operators) and the mid-band (1800-2100 MHz) frequencies are being used for this purpose. This is the current location of 4G, capitalising on the possibility of using NR (New Radio) equipment that can operate with both technologies (4G and 5G) at the same time.
José María Álvarez-Pallete, Telefónica’s Executive Chairman
It’s 5G for everyone, without any exceptions. In all the autonomous communities. Telefónica will accelerate the digitisation of SMEs, the public administrations and the general public with this initiative.
