MasOrange and Ericsson said the network upgrades could support applications such as cloud gaming, real-time video, AR/VR, and connected wearables
In sum – what to know:
5G-A live in 20 cities – MasOrange has activated new RAN capabilities nationwide, including in Madrid and Barcelona.
Focus on efficiency and latency – Carrier aggregation, RedCap, and L4S target improved spectrum use and more consistent low latency.
VoNR rollout underway – The operator is also enabling voice services over its 5G standalone network.
Spanish carrier MasOrange and Ericsson have deployed 5G-Advanced (5G-A) radio access network (RAN) technology across 20 cities in Spain, building on MasOrange’s existing 5G standalone (5G SA) core provided by Ericsson.
The Swedish vendor noted that the rollout introduces 5G-A features aimed at improving spectrum use, device support, and latency performance. These include carrier aggregation to increase capacity and flexibility, Reduced Capability (RedCap) technology to support lower-complexity IoT devices, and Low Latency, Low Loss, Scalable Throughput (L4S) to enable more consistent low-latency connectivity for time-sensitive applications.
The vendor also highlighted that the upgrade is designed to improve capacity, energy efficiency, and latency consistency while supporting a broader range of devices and services.
MasOrange and Ericsson are also working on the rollout of Voice over New Radio (VoNR), which enables voice services over the 5G SA network.
The deployment has been completed in 20 cities, including Madrid and Barcelona. The companies said the network upgrades could support applications such as cloud gaming, real-time video, AR/VR, and connected wearables.
In a separate statement, MasOrange has announced the commercial rollout of 5G-A across 40 cities, extending next-generation mobile capabilities to major urban areas across more than half of the country’s autonomous communities. The deployment covers key provincial capitals, the eight capitals of Andalusia, the three main cities in the Valencia region, as well as Palma de Mallorca, Santander, Vigo, Gijón, León and Salamanca. With this expansion, the company says roughly one-third of Spain’s population will have access to 5G-A services. The telco had initially activated its 5G-A network in May 2025.
According to the Spanish operator, the new technology also introduces features such as network sensing, which can detect and track objects with sub-10-centimeter accuracy, and “5G New Calling,” which enhances voice services with improved quality and real-time multimedia capabilities.
MasOrange says the rollout will enable new use cases across sectors including healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, and utilities, such as remote patient monitoring, connected and autonomous vehicles, predictive maintenance in industrial settings and smart metering for energy and water networks.
In 2024, Orange and Masmovil had completed a joint venture combining their operations after the clearance provided by the European Union and the Spanish government.
