Orange said its overall 5G network reached a coverage of 82% of the Spanish population
Spanish telecom operator Orange’s 5G Standalone (SA) network currently reaches 32 cities across the country, the telco said in a release.
Orange’s 5G SA network was initially launched in Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia and Seville. It currently reaches other important cities such as Alicante, Castellon, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife, Valladolid and Zaragoza.
Orange also noted that it has a total of 32 devices certified to be used on the telco’s 5G SA network.
Ericsson, Nokia and Oracle Communications are the main providers of Orange’s 5G SA network.
The telco also noted that it currently has nearly 2.2 million customers in the 5G segment, an increase of 70% compared to last year. The telco provides 5G services in 2,122 towns and cities across 52 Spanish provinces.
Orange said its overall 5G network reached a coverage of 82% of the Spanish population. The Spanish carrier is currently offering 5G services through frequencies in the 3.5 GHz and 700 MHz bands.
As for 4G, the company ended Q1 with a coverage of 99% of the Spanish population and provides service to over 11 million customers.
In the last spectrum auction, Orange secured 2×10 megahertz in the 700 MHz band, which adds to the 110 megahertz in the 3.5 GHz band already owned by Orange. The company invested a total of 523 million euros (currently $560 million) in the acquisition of these frequencies.
The operator launched commercial 5G services in Spain in September of 2020, using the 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) architecture.
Last year, Orange and Masmovil signed a binding agreement to combine their operations in Spain.
The transaction is subject to approval from antitrust and other regulatory review and is expected to close during the second half of 2023. The file has already been registered with the European Commission.
Under the terms of the agreement, the 50-50 joint venture stipulates that both telcos will have equal governance rights in the combined entity. The deal also includes a right to trigger an IPO under certain conditions for both parties after a defined period and, in such a scenario, an option for Orange to take control of the combined entity.
In June, the European Commission said that the proposed merger of Orange and MásMóvil may reduce competition in the mobile and fixed internet markets.
On April 3, 2023, the European Commission opened an in-depth investigation to assess if the proposed merger would potentially restrict competition in several market segments including mobile telecommunications services, fixed internet access services and multiple-play bundles.
“As a result of this in-depth investigation, the Commission is concerned that the proposed transaction may reduce the number of network operators in Spain, thereby eliminating a significant competitive constraint and innovative rival in the Spanish retail markets for mobile telecommunications services, fixed internet services and multiple- play bundles. The Commission is concerned that this may lead to significant price increases for affected retail customers across the Spanish market,” the European Commission said.
