MasOrange said its 5G network will reach almost 3,700 municipalities by the end this year
MasOrange, Spain’s largest mobile operator as a result of the merger between local carriers Orange Spain and Masmovil, plans to continue with the extension of its 5G network this year with the aim of reaching 100% of nearly 750 Spanish municipalities with more than 10,000 inhabitants.
According to the company’s plans, its 5G network will reach almost 3,700 municipalities by the end this year, which compares to the 2,700 municipalities currently covered by MasOrange’s 5G network. Currently, MasOrange covers 85% of the Spanish population with its 5G network.
By the end of 2024, the telco said it plans to reach more than 2,400 municipalities with less than 5,000 with its 5G network.
The telco highlighted it currently has nearly 9,800 sites which operate in the 700 MHz band. Of the total 700 MHz nodes that the company currently has, about 5,500 are distributed in nearly 2,500 towns with less than 50,000 inhabitants. Likewise, around 600 small towns and villages with less than 1,000 people also benefit from this mobile network, the telco said.
In April, MasOrange said it planned to invest 4 billion euros (currently $4.35 billion) in the European country within the next three years.
The new entity said that the investment will be chiefly oriented for the deployment of 5G and fiber optic networks as well as new services.
The 50-50 joint venture, which currently has over 30 million mobile customers, said it expects to generate synergies of more than 490 million euros per year by the fourth year of the transaction’s closure.
Earlier this year, Orange and Masmovil completed a joint venture combining their operations after the clearance provided by the European Union and the Spanish government.
The Council of Ministers of Spain gave the approval for the Orange-Masmovil merger “with specific commitments and conditions”, including the implementation of an “ambitious industrial plan”.
The European body had said the approval is conditional upon full compliance with a commitments package offered by Orange and Masmovil.
During its in-depth investigation, the commission said it gathered extensive information and received feedback from market participants and other stakeholders. Following its investigation, the body said it had concerns that the transaction, as initially notified, would restrict competition in the retail markets for the supply of mobile and fixed internet services in Spain, whether offered standalone or in bundles.
However, to address the commission’s competition concerns, Orange and Masmovil committed to divest spectrum held by MasMovil to Spanish MVNO Digi Communications across three frequency spectrum bands, two medium frequency bands (1,800 MHz and 2,100 GHz) and one high frequency band (3.5 GHz). The mobile spectrum to be divested will enable Digi to build its own mobile network.
The new JV was initially announced in July 2022.
