Masmovil is using 3.5 GHz for its 5G offering
Spanish telecom operator Masmovil is currently offering 5G service in 553 towns and cities in 39 provinces across Spain for the customers of its Yoigo brand, the company said in a release.
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.
Since June, the telco expanded its 5G infrastructure in 118 cities, reaching 48% of the Spanish population with this technology. The firm said it had already deployed over 400 5G nodes in the Basque Country, Galicia and Asturias.
The operator also said it aims to continue deploying 5G infrastructure in the coming months to expand its current coverage. The telco also noted that its 5G portfolio already includes over 30 devices.
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 is already offering 5G services in 442 towns and cities in 48 provinces across the country. According to the European operator, its 5G network infrastructure already reaches 28% of the Spanish population.
Orange had said it expects its 5G network to reach 50% of the population by the end of this year and 90% of the population by 2022.
Orange is currently offering 5G in the country through a combination of non-standalone (NSA) 5G and Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) technologies. The operator launched commercial 5G services in Spain in September of 2020, using equipment provided by Swedish vendor Ericsson.
Meanwhile, Telefónica recently said it has extended the coverage of its 5G network to over 80% of the country’s population as of the end of the first quarter of 2021, having installed more than 4,300 nodes that offer coverage to more than 37 million inhabitants.
The telco said that its 5G network currently reaches 1,253 towns and cities across Spain.The company launched its 5G service in September 2020.
Vodafone had 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. It has also carried out more than 130 use cases over the 5G network in fields such as smart cities, agriculture, health and tourism with the collaboration some 30 partners.
