STA, 23 July 2020 - Telekom Slovenije has started setting up the country's first commercial 5G networks using its existing base stations and within the existing 2600MHz frequency spectrum used in 4G. The company says that coverage will initially be provided in about 25% of the country but is expected to exceed 33% by the end of the year.
The national telecommunications operator said in a press conference on Thursday that the upgraded 4G/5G network will allow for data transfer speeds faster than provided by the LTE/4G network. However, the full potential of 5G will become available only after additional parts of the spectrum are awarded, it added.
So far, Telekom has upgraded 150 base stations, which covers about a fourth of the country. But as upgrades continues, the company expects coverage to exceed 33% by the end of this year. It will also soon start selling mobile phones with 4G/5G capabilities.
Listing the advantages of 5G networks, the company pointed to considerably higher download and upload speeds and connectivity of a large number of devices, allowing the development of smart industries and smart cities and communities, among other things.
Telekom plans to build the 5G networks in the form of campus networks, a concept allowing multiple virtual networks divided by purpose operating on the same physical infrastructure.
The company also said the setting up of the 5G networks is being conducted in complete compliance with the law, adding that Slovenia's environmental impact legislation was among the strictest in the world.
"The measuring of potential effects on the environment is conducted by independent expert institutions that have been licensed by the Environment Agency. The measurements of the upgraded base stations show that they are safe and far below limit values," Telekom said.
