MasOrange noted its 5G network currently reaches 86% of Spain’s population
Spanish carrier MasOrange, Spain’s largest mobile operator as a result of the merger between local carriers Orange Spain and Masmovil, has accelerated the expansion of its 5G network this year, with 3,530 municipalities now able to access the service in Spain, the telco said in a release.
The company’s plans include continuing these deployments and covering almost 3,700 municipalities with 5G infrastructure by the end of this year, up from nearly 2,600 at the end of 2023. Currently, MasOrange’s 5G network reaches 86% of Spain’s population.
By the end of 2024, the telco projects that nearly 100% of Spanish municipalities with more than 10,000 inhabitants, which approximately 750 towns, will be connected to 5G.
As part of its 5G rollout plans for this year, MasOrange expects to bring its 5G network to over 2,400 municipalities with fewer than 5,000 residents, more than half of which have populations under 1,000.
With a network of nearly 9,800 sites on the 700 MHz band, MasOrange claimed it currently leads the deployment of nodes in this frequency.
Of the total 700 MHz nodes currently operated by the company, about 5,500 are distributed across some 2,500 towns with fewer than 50,000 inhabitants. Additionally, around 600 small villages with fewer than 1,000 residents also benefit from this mobile network.
In April, MasOrange said it planned to invest 4 billion euros ($4.33 billion) in Spain within the next three years.
The company said that the investment will be chiefly oriented for the deployment of 5G and fiber optic networks as well as new services.
Earlier this year, Orange and Masmovil completed a joint venture combining their operations after the clearance provided by the European Union and the Spanish government.
MasOrange had previously decided to significantly reduce the presence of equipment provided by Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE, according to local newspaper Expansion.
The report noted that this decision will certainly benefit Swedish vendor Ericsson, which may become the sole 5G supplier of MasOrange from the 2028-2029 period.
The report also noted that the first phase of the process, which runs from 2024 to 2027, Huawei will see its share in the operator in terms of 5G equipment to go from the current 54% to around 39%. At the same time, Ericsson’s stake will increase from 42% to 61%.
The report also stated that ZTE, which currently has a 4% of the network, will be fully phased-out by the end of 2027.