Spanish operator Orange is already offering 5G services in 45 cities across the country, the telco said in a blog post.
Some of the cities covered by Orange’s non-standalone (NSA) 5G network includes Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Malaga, Zaragoza, Logroño and Pamplona.
Orange also said it expects to launch 5G in 93 towns and cities across Spain before the end of 2020.
The operator had launched commercial 5G services in Spain in September using equipment provided by Ericsson.
The European carrier is currently offering this technology through spectrum in the 3.6-3.8MHz band.
The carrier initially launched 5G technology in Madrid and Barcelona with the deployment of Ericsson’s 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) and core products and solutions.
Operating on 3.6 GHz spectrum, the 5G network in Madrid and Barcelona is powered by the Ericsson Radio System (Baseband 6648 and AIR 6488 antenna), delivering massive multiple-input multiple-output, which increases network capacity and spectral efficiency.
Ericsson also supplied Orange Spain with a 5G Evolved Packet Core to support 5G New Radio non-standalone (NSA), including control plane, user plane and policy network functions.
The company said it would launch 5G through standalone (SA) architecture once the Spanish government makes available spectrum in the 700 MHz band, which is expected to occur in the first months of 2021.
In related news, Spanish operator Telefonica’s president Emilio Gayo, said that the deployment of the new 5G mobile technology in the country will force operators to invest more than 6,000 billion euros ($7.17 billion) in infrastructure.
Gayo specified that for every euro invested by operators in 5G networks, the entire ecosystem will invest another three euros.
The executive also said that the government should guarantee affordable prices for the upcoming 700 MHz spectrum auction to enable operators to continue investing in 5G infrastructure. “If a high investment (for the acquisition of spectrum) is required, the capacity for investments in infrastructure will be less”, said Gayo
Telefonica has already activated its 5G network in 640 towns and cities across the country.
According to recent press report, Telefonica already provides its 5G service to approximately 42% of the Spanish population. The telco previously said it aims to cover 75% of the population with the new technology by the end of 2020.
In September, the Spanish telco announced the launch of non-standalone (NSA) 5G commercial services in the country. Telefonica’s initial 5G deployment phase included 150 cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants, almost all the cities with 30,000, more than 50% of those with 20,000 inhabitants and some with more than 10,000 inhabitants.
The telco is offering its 5G service through spectrum in the 3.5 GHz and 1.8-2.1 GHz bands.
Spanish carriers Vodafone Spain and Masmovil also offers 5G technology in certain regions of the country.
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