Swedish vendor Ericsson has signed a new deal with Spanish operator Masmovil to upgrade the latter’s 5G network with 5G Standalone technology.
In a release, the European vendor said that this new core network transformation project includes Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core, Ericsson Cloud Native Infrastructure, Ericsson Cloud IMS, automated CI/CD, Ericsson Orchestrator, CENX Service Assurance and 5G managed services.
Ericsson said that the upgraded 5G network will allow Masmovil’s subscribers to experience faster browsing and download speeds and have access to new services, such as virtual reality or augmented reality, almost in real time.
The included capacity growth included in the agreement will also allow a massive increase in capacity for the 5G and VoLTE subscribers of Masmovil Group, including prepaid services, according to Ericsson.
“We will work with Ericsson to make Masmovil one of the most advanced 5G operators. We believe in innovation and virtualized and secure networks to be able to offer our customers the best services on the fastest and most modern networks in the market,” said Meinrad Spenger, CEO at Masmovil Group.
Masmovil is now offering 5G service in over 300 towns and cities across Spain.
The carrier’s 5G service is being offered via a combination of its own infrastructure and an agreement with rival operator Orange. Masmovil currently has 80 megahertz of spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band for the provision of 5G.
Some of the cities in which the carrier provides 5G include Alicante, Alcobendas, Almería, Ávila, Barcelona, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Huesca, Jaén, Madrid, Málaga, Melilla, Orense, Salamanca, Sevilla and Valencia.
The operator also said it aims to continue deploying 5G infrastructure in the coming months to expand its current coverage.
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.
