Telefonica noted that the new 5G network will allow compatible user devices to access the 5G mmWave network during MWC 2023
Telefónica, Ericsson and Qualcomm aim to launch what they say is the first commercial mobile 5G mmWave network in Spain during Mobile World Congress 2023.
The partners noted that the new network will allow compatible user devices to access the 5G mmWave network during the event.
The 5G mmWave deployment will cover Hall 3 of the MWC Barcelona event using mmWave spectrum bandwidth secured by Telefónica from the recent Spanish spectrum auction. Ericsson is providing its mmWave radio AIR 5322 and high-capacity RAN Processor 6651 to enable the 5G millimeter coverage.
Meanwhile, Qualcomm Technologies’ 5G mmWave device bar on its booth will demonstrate 5G mmWave devices powered by Snapdragon including commercial smartphones, PCs, CPEs and hotspots.
Gerardo Rovira, director of radio access at Telefónica, said: “This first commercial deployment of 5G mmWave services we are launching together with Ericsson and Qualcomm, along with the massive spectrum that Telefónica has obtained in the last auction, is the last milestone in a series of 5G long term projects that Telefónica has been developing in collaboration with enterprises and institutions in the last three years, and it goes a long way in showing the commitment that Telefónica has in the development and leadership of a strong 5G ecosystem that will be a key factor in bringing compelling services for both the public and private sectors”
The companies highlighted that millimeter band connectivity will allow for multiple benefits, targeting areas with intensive traffic needs like hot spots in indoor and outdoor environments, enhancing existing city macro sites, densification of urban and suburban street sites or using of macro tower sites to extend coverage of fiber-like fixed wireless access (FWA) service as a complement to fiber deployment in difficult areas.
“Our collaboration with Telefónica and Qualcomm to achieve this 5G mmWave technological leap in Spain will dramatically change the experience of mobile connectivity for consumers and enterprises, making it faster, more accessible and more reliable. Millimeter band opens a new paradigm in the deployment of 5G technology, that will provide operators a powerful tool to complement existing network deployment strategy to increase performance and capacity with different needs,” said Somaya El-Marrakchi, head of networks, at Ericsson Spain.
Telefónica’s 5G network currently covers 83% of the Spanish population. The operator said its 5G network provides coverage in 1,719 towns and cities across Spain.
The telco also noted that nearly 1,700 towns and cities in Spain are covered by its 700MHz 5G service, which had been activated in February 2022.
In July 2021, Telefónica officially announced its decision to award the contracts to deploy its 5G standalone radio networks across Spain to Nordic vendors Ericsson and Nokia.
Spanish operators Telefónica, Orange and Vodafone had recently secured additional spectrum to expand 5G services after the government completed a tender to award frequencies in the 26 GHz band.
Telefónica secured 1 gigahertz of spectrum for a total of 20 million euros ($21.1 million), while Orange and Vodafone have obtained 400 megahertz for 8 million euros each.
