Austrian telecommunications company Drei expects to operate a total of 100 5G base stations across the country by the end of the year, the telco said in a release.
The carrier also said that the city center of Linz is already fully covered with 5G technology.
On June 20, 2019, Drei launched its 5G network in the city center of Linz and has continuously expanded since then. Drei now operates 5G networks in Linz, Pörtschach, Wörgl, Leoben, in parts of Graz and Vienna.
Jan Trionow, CEO of Drei said: “We have already offered our customers one of the best quality networks in Europe. We are continuously expanding our network for all customers across Austria. With our new 5G offer, we are doing real pioneering work in the first parts of the country are already creating the ideal conditions for the digital world of tomorrow.”
The expansion of the company’s current commercial 5G network will be mainly driven by market demand in the country, Trionow told RCR Wireless News during ZTE’s Global Wireless User Congress and 5G Summit which took place in October, in Vienna, Austria.
“Initially, we believe that 5G will be used to provide capacity and speeds for our broadband customers,” he said. The executive also highlighted that Drei is currently engaged with the study of several use cases for 5G in the country.
“We currently have nearly 6,000 base stations across Austria, which would be gradually upgraded to 5G within the next couple of years. During next year we will see a significant coverage with 5G in Vienna,” he said.
Earlier this year, ZTE and Hutchison Drei Austria partnered to develop and deploy what they said was Austria’s first operational 5G network.
Trionow said that Drei decided to initially launch 5G in Linz as this city is home of many large industrial companies.
Drei, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings, secured 100 megahertz of 5G-suitable 3.5GHz spectrum covering all twelve designated regions of Austria in March 2019. Tionow suggested that Drei will take part in a new auction for the provision of additional 5G spectrum in 2020.
At ZTE’s Global Wireless User Congress and 5G Summit, the Chinese vendor and Drei Austria also jointly demonstrated what they claim is the industry’s first end-to-end network slicing operation. One smart bionic mechanical dog equipped with 5G CPE for a data connection showed different potential application scenarios, such as rescuing, security patrol and guarding home. Together with 8k UHD video, drone and high-speed download services, a panoramic view of the future life with 5G was shaped.
