Spanish telecom operator Masmovil is now offering 5G service in 15 cities across Spain for the customers of its Yoigo brand, the company said in a release.
The carrier said that the 5G service is being offered via a combination of own infrastructure and an agreement with rival operator Orange.
Initially, Masmovil will offer 5G connectivity in Alicante, Alcobendas, Almería, Ávila, Barcelona, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Huesca, Jaén, Madrid, Málaga, Melilla, Orense, Salamanca, Sevilla and Valencia.
“We are very happy to allow our Yoigo customers to test the technology 5G at no additional cost.In addition, we put at our customers disposal the most competitive offer of 5G terminals so that they can enjoy this service,” said the company’s CEO Meinrad Spenger.
In a future phase, Masmovil aims to launch its own 5G SA network with 80 megahertz of spectrum in the 3.4-3.8 GHz band.
In October 2019, Masmovil signed an agreement with Orange Spain covering mobile, fiber and broadband technologies. The deal gives Masmovil access to Orange Spain’s entire 5G network thanks to a “virtual active sharing mode” agreement, enabling it to deploy 5G in 4,500 locations that cover 35% of the Spanish population in 40 main cities including Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Zaragoza, Malaga and Bilbao. Orange will deploy a total of 1,500 new sites through the end of 2021 in Spain.
The 5G deal between Masmovil and Orange will be valid until 2028 and is extendable for 5 additional years.
Orange launched commercial 5G services in Spain earlier this week using equipment provided by Ericsson. 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.
Last month, rival operator Telefónica launched 5G services in Spain, with plans to reach 75% of the Spanish population with this technology by the end of 2020.
Telefónica is offering its 5G service through spectrum in the 3.5 GHz and 1.8-2.1 GHz bands. Telefonica also said it expects a gradual shutdown of its 2G and 3G networks once 5G becomes fully available.
Meanwhile, Vodafone launched Spain’s first commercial 5G network in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Malaga, Zaragoza, Bilbao, Vitoria, San Sebastian, La Coruna, Vigo, Gijon, Pamplona, Logrono and Santander in June 2019. The company had previously said that it was working with Huawei and Ericsson in the deployment of the 5G network.
As of the end of May, Vodafone Spain had activated its 5G network in a total of 21 cities across the country using its spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band.
