Movistar launches 5G SA
July 3, 2023
From David Del Valle in Madrid
Telefonica’s Movistar has launched ‘real’, standalone 5G in 700 municipalities with plans to cover most Spanish cities with over 250,000 inhabitants by the end of the year.
With Ericsson and Nokia acting as the main providers, Movistar 5G SA network will allow up to 1,600 Mbps speeds in the 3,500 MHz band.
Currently, Movistar covers eleven cities with 5G SA: Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Sevilla, Palma de Mallorca, Las Palmas, Avila, Segovia, Castellon, El Ferrol and Vigo.
However, in 5G+ (which relies on existing 4G networks) the market leader is Orange with a 30 per cent coverage of all the population.
Vodafone’s 5G SA is expected to launch in 2024.