Telefonica provides 5G coverage to 38 million people in 1,431 towns and cities across Spain
Spanish telecom operator Telefonica’s 5G network currently covers 82% of the Spanish population, the telco said in a release.
The operator said its 5G network provides coverage to 38 million people in 1,431 towns and cities across Spain.
Telefonica also said it has recently expanded its 5G infrastructure to boost coverage in touristic locations across the country. To expand coverage during the summer season, Telefónica will turn on more than 500 5G sites operating in the 700 MHz spectrum band.
By the end of 2022, the telco aims to reach 1,400 municipalities in Spain with its 5G service using this spectrum band, with the goal of reaching 2,400 by the end of 2023.
Telefonica had announced the activation of 5G services using spectrum in the 700MHz band in February.
The Spanish government raised a total of 1.1 billion euros (currently $1.12 billion) in the 700 MHz spectrum auction, with local operators Telefónica, Vodafone and Orange securing these key frequencies to expand 5G services. Vodafone and Orange have recently launched 5G via 700MHz frequencies in the country. The government said that each license will have a duration of 20 years, rising to a maximum of 40 years.
The Spanish government aims for 75% of the population to have 5G coverage by 2025 through the bands that have been identified as priorities: 694-790 MHz, 3.4-3.8 GHz and 24.25-27.5 GHz.
Telefonica previously said that all the provincial capitals and autonomous cities, 100% of the cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants and 98% of those with more than 20,000 inhabitants, as well as small towns in all the autonomous communities already have 5G.
In July 2021, Telefónica officially announced its decision to award the contracts to deploy its 5G standalone radio networks across Spain to Nordic vendors Ericsson and Nokia.
The deployment of Nokia and Ericsson 5G SA networks, which is expected to occur this year, will be carried out on the 3.5 GHz and 700 MHz bands, Telefónica said.
Telefonica confirmed that the Mobile World Congress, which took place in February in the Barcelona, was the first major event to feature Telefónica’s 700 MHz commercial 5G coverage, which was complemented by a special deployment of 5G in the 3.5 GHz band.
