Telefónica turns on its 5G that will cover 75% of the Spanish population before the end of the year

It will allow the development of services such as Multiaccess Edge Computing, with ultra-low latency and greater computing capacity “at the edge of the network”, private 5G networks, massive IoT and critical communications in addition to network virtualization.

Telefónica announced this Tuesday, September 1, the switching on its 5G network in Spain that will allow the 75% of the Spanish population can access this technology before the end of this year 2020.

The announcement was made by the executive president of Telefónica, José María Álvarez-Pallete, who highlighted that "the launch of our 5G network is a leap forward towards hyperconnectivity that will change the future of Spain."

The switching on of Telefónica's 5G network occurs after Álvarez-Pallete reaffirmed Telefónica's commitment to promoting the complete digitalization of our country last July.

"It is 5G for everyone, without exceptions. In all autonomous communities. With this push, Telefónica accelerates the digitalization of SMEs, public administrations and citizens. Like fiber and like so many other great things, 5G is Telefónica," stated the company's first executive.

"Our network has always been a differential asset. People's lives pass through it and it has demonstrated unmatched strength when it has been needed most," added Álvarez-Pallete, who recalled that Spain already leads Europe's digital infrastructures with the most extensive fiber optic network.

Telefónica, which will launch an offer for both private clients and companies, bet on the multitude of transversal benefits, direct and indirect, that 5G brings to key sectors such as transportation, tourism, energy, automotive or health.

"Enormous benefits are coming for Spain. 5G is not only a new generation of mobile telephony, it is a revolution due to its practical applications for all sectors and because it allows expanding ultra-broadband coverage in rural areas and in emptied Spain," stressed Álvarez-Pallete, who has gone a step further to remember that "this is a golden opportunity for Spain to lead the Fourth Industrial Revolution and take advantage of Europe's outstretched hand in the reconstruction process."

Technical advantages of 5G

This new generation of mobile telephony allows ultra-fast connectivity with differential capabilities in terms of bandwidth, both upstream and downstream, very low latency and the ability to connect to millions of devices. The great transformation of 5G is that it will make possible a world in which most of our everyday objects will be elements connected to each other and to us, with greater bandwidth and a speed of milliseconds.

"With 5G everything happens in a millisecond. A millisecond is what makes remote surgery, the autonomous car, the intelligent management of energy resources and cities, or the most advanced entertainment possible. A millisecond is much more than a new response time. It is Telefónica's response to the new times. It is Telefónica's commitment to the future of the country," concluded José María Álvarez-Pallete.

For individual customers, in addition to the advantages that 5G brings in terms of higher speed and lower latency that will allow, for example, download a movie in seconds, 5G will mean the possibility, among others, of enjoying live sports broadcasts in which the user will have a 360º experience and you will be able to view any angle of the game as if you were on the field.

Those who are fans of gaming They will have a mobility experience similar to that provided by fiber in the home, that is, without interruptions or latency. Thus, 5G will allow you to play on your mobile phone, as if you were on the screen of your home computer or on a video console.

For companies, the services of Multiaccess Edge Computing, which offer services ultra low latency and greater capacity edge computing, in addition to services such as 5G private networks, he Massive IoT and critical communications in addition to network virtualization, which makes it easier to use network resources more efficiently based on customer needs.

Technology

Telefónica works with the latest generations of radio that allow 4G and 5G dual use with the aim of bringing 5G to the maximum population from the first moment. In this first phase, the 5G network is launched thanks to a technology that combines despliegue 5G NSA (Non Stand Alone) y DSS (Dynamic Spectrum Sharing) to immediately deploy the 5G SA (Stand Alone) network afterwards, when the technology is fully available after standardization. Likewise, this initial deployment is making use of current sites and infrastructure and, in the medium and long term, it will be complemented with new base stations and small cells, depending on the capacity or coverage required.

For this, they are using the 3.5 Ghz bands, the only 5G band already licensed to operators and the medium bands (1800 – 2100 MHz), where 4G is currently located, taking advantage of the possibility of using NR (New Radio) equipment that can work in both technologies, 4G and 5G at the same time.

The new deployments will be accompanied by a gradual shutdown of the old second and third generation networks. 100% of the copper network will have been replaced by fiber by 2025, when the 3G network shutdown. This will allow more efficient management of investments, since it will not be necessary to increase them to address new deployments.

The suppliers for Telefónica's radio network, pure data transmission, will be Ericsson y Nokia, while the systems Huawei will allow the deployment of the central system of the network, the core.