“We welcome operators now launching 5G. They are late, but better late than never.” Antonio Coimbra, until next November president and CEO of Vodafone Spain, greeted his new competitors in 5G: Telefónica, Orange and Grupo MásMóvil with these words.
The 5G networks have been operating in Spain since mid-June 2019, hand in hand with the red operator, which gives Vodafone the greatest experience in the technology called to modernize mobility connectivity around the world. In his case, he made an initial deployment in six Spanish cities: Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Seville, Malaga and Valencia. While the rest of the operators gave up competing in 5G for commercial reasons, the Spanish subsidiary of the British group was extending its 5G coverage in other large capitals of the country. He did so in Vigo and A Coruña, and then made the leap to San Sebastián, Zaragoza, Vitoria, Logroño, Santander, Pamplona and Gijón. Badajoz, Murcia, Alicante, Palma de Mallorca, Benidorm and Valladolid were later added. In these 21 cities, Vodafone’s 5G network already reaches half the population of these areas thanks to its 600 base stations. This operator has also assured elEconomista that it has more continuous spectrum than the rest to offer the new 5G services, so it can provide faster data transit than its rivals.
The breach opened by Vodafone has paved the way for the rest. Thus, in all cases, all strategies are cut from the same pattern, whether for technical or commercial reasons. For example, the frequencies used by operators are 3.5 GHz and are based on the Non Standalone (NSA) standard, a technology that allows for high capacity, low latency and download speeds of 1 Gbps.
Likewise, all the main Spanish telecommunications companies have agreed to maintain their 4G rates for users who connect their devices to 5G. They also limit the benefits of the new connectivity to contract users and have excluded their second and third brands, such as O2, Lowi, Amena or Pepephone, from them.
Almost a year and a half after the movement of the entry into action of the first Spanish 5G, the ignition of its fifth generation telephone networks in seven cities. In his case, 200 nodes distributed between Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Malaga, Zaragoza and Murcia were activated. The Telefónica brand has 90 MHz of 3.5 GHz, enough to display the strengths of the technology in terms of speed, capacity and latency, among other advantages. In its announcement, the company chaired by Emilio Gayo advanced its commitment to reach 75% of the national territory by the end of this year, for which it will suffice to update nearly 500 3G and 4G base stations to accommodate the new technology.
drag effect
As expected, the decision of the leading operator generated an immediate drag effect, so the rest of the operators followed suit. Thus, with its 100 MHz of the 3.5 GHz band, with a staggered deployment of 300 base stations that begins in the central areas of Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville and Malaga, to reach 30% of the coverage in said cities through the most significant neighborhoods. According to the company, the lucky ones in Madrid are the residents of the interior of the M-30, along with residents of districts such as Hortaleza, Ciudad Lineal, San Blas, Puente de Vallecas, Aluche and Campamento, as well as in Pozuelo de Alarcón. . In Barcelona, 5G already reaches the south of the Diagonal, although it will be extended to some districts such as Gràcia, Clot, Sant Martí and the Meridiana area. 5G coverage will also be available in part of the Free Zone (Mercabarna). In Valencia, 5G coverage is noticeable in a large part of the municipality, from Beniferri, Benimaclet and Benicalap to the north to the line marked by the V30 to the south. Seville’s 5G is concentrated in the central area of the city, that is, inside the old wall, providing coverage in areas on both banks of the Guadalquivir, both in Triana and Los Remedios and in the Old Town) as well as in the Charterhouse Island. In Malaga, coverage extends from Malagueta beach to the Cádiz highway following the coastline, covering the historic center of the city up to Martiricos, as well as the Avenida de Andalucía axis and the Teatinos campus.
The Group in the same direction with its 80 MHz of 35 GHz, although in its case arranged in discontinuous blocks, which supposes a certain handicap with respect to its competitors in certain technical features. The yellow operator has chosen Yoigo as the brand with the highest value to launch its 5G in 15 Spanish cities: Alicante, Alcobendas, Almería, Ávila, Barcelona, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Huesca, Jaén, Madrid, Málaga, Melilla, Orense, Salamanca, Seville and Valencia. New towns will be added to all of the above in the coming months, not only with MásMóvil’s own network, but also with that of Orange, a company with which it has an infrastructure collaboration agreement.
Optimism regarding 5G seems widespread among Spaniards, according to a recent report by Ericcson. According to this report, 75% of users maintain a favorable opinion of the new technology; 50% of Spaniards expect faster deployment and 30% would be willing to migrate from 4G to 5G.
respite for providers
5G infrastructure providers breathe a sigh of relief at the blockade they have suffered for more than a year. While the main European countries have already enabled their Fifth Generation connections, most of the Spanish telcos (except Vodafone) kept the handbrake on. Among the companies that have benefited most from turning on 5G, Ericsson, a mobile network partner of Telefónica, Orange and Vodafone, stands out. Huawei is Vodafone Spain’s ally for 5G radio access. All network providers have a guaranteed workload in the coming years given the forecasts in the deployment requirements.
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