Orange activated its commercial 5G service in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla y Málaga.
Ericsson confirmed that Orange is using its 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) and Core products and solutions in Madrid and Barcelona. Ericsson’s initial 5G deployments in Madrid and Barcelona will be followed by other locations under a four-year partnership to help Orange Spain develop its 5G offering across Spain. Operating on 3.6GHz spectrum, the 5G network in Madrid and Barcelona is powered by the Ericsson Radio System (Baseband 6648 and AIR 6488 antenna), delivering Massive MIMO, a key technology that significantly increases network capacity and spectral efficiency.
Ericsson also supplies Orange Spain with a 5G Evolved Packet Core to support 5G New Radio non-standalone (NSA), including control plane, user plane and policy network functions. These are all parts of the Ericsson Cloud Core portfolio.
Arun Bansal, President of Ericsson Europe and Latin America, says: “Ericsson’s 5G technology provides faster networks, much better mobile broadband experiences to end users and gives mobile networks greater innovation capabilities to meet future demands. Our core and radio portfolios are instrumental in providing a sustainable platform for innovation and economic growth in Spain. Ericsson is thrilled to partner with Orange Spain to help them capture the opportunities that 5G and related technologies will bring to their subscribers and to industries.”
Ericsson currently has 108 commercial 5G agreements and contracts with unique communications service providers, of which 58 are publicly announced 5G deals, including 60 live commercial 5G networks.
https://www.ericsson.com/en/press-releases/2020/9/orange-launches-ericsson-powered-5g-in-spain
Telefónica activates 5G across Spain
Telefónica switched on its 5G network in Spain.
Telefónica is promising to bring 5G to 75% of the Spanish population by the end of the year.
The first phase of the rollout combines NSA (non-standalone) 5G and DSS (Dynamic Spectrum Sharing) using the 3.5 GHz band (the only 5G band frequency already licensed to operators) and the mid-band (1800-2100 MHz). The second phase will bring SA (standalone) 5G once the technology is fully standardized.
The new deployments will take place in tandem with a gradual shut-down of the 2G and 3G networks, which is slated for 2025. Telefónica also expects to have replaced 100% of its old copper network with fiber by 2025.
The announcement was made by José María Álvarez-Pallete, Telefónica’s Executive Chairman, who stressed that “the launch of our 5G network constitutes a leap forward towards the hyperconnectivity that will change the future of Spain”. The switching on of Telefónica’s 5G network comes after Álvarez-Pallete confirmed Telefónica’s commitment to promote the complete digitisation of the country last July. “It’s 5G for everyone, without any exceptions. In all the autonomous communities. Telefónica will accelerate the digitisation of SMEs, the public administrations and the general public with this initiative. “Like fibre and like so many other great things, 5G is Telefónica”, explained the company’s chief executive.
