Orange has obtained 400MHz (2×200 MHz) of national spectrum in the 26GHz band, during the frequency auction held by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation. The company has paid 8 million euros for the license of this spectrum and thus reaffirms its firm commitment to the extension of this technology in Spain.
Orange increases its spectrum available to offer 5G connectivity services, given that it also has 2x10MHz in the 700MHz band and 110MHz in the 3.5GHz band, both priorities for the deployment of this technology. The company has invested a total of €531 million in the acquisition of frequencies throughout the various auctions in which it has participated since 2016.
Thanks to this acquisition in the 26GHz band, Orange also ensures the availability of the necessary spectrum resources for the future growth of 5G and the new services and applications that will be offered on this technology.
Orange 5G coverage
Orange, committed to promoting digitalisation as the basis for economic development, inclusion, and territorial cohesion in Spain, had 5G coverage of over 69% of the Spanish population at the end of the third quarter of 2022, reaching 1,529 municipalities in 52 provinces through the different frequencies available so far.
Orange has already exceeded the target set for the year, which was to reach more than 1,500 municipalities with its fifth-generation network by 2022.
As part of its plans for this year, in early 2022, Orange also announced an ambitious 5G deployment plan in the 700MHz band, which aimed to reach more than 1,100 municipalities with its 5G network over this band-essential to obtain the greatest benefits of the 5G network, also inside buildings and in rural areas. The company has also exceeded its plans in this regard, having already deployed 700 MHz nodes in 1,212 municipalities.
It should also be noted that, after completing the reallocation of the 5G spectrum Orange has been assigned in the 3.5GHz band, and thanks to the fact that the company has more spectrum in this band than the rest of its competitors, Orange customers can enjoy a better browsing experience, which will be reflected in an increase in speed of 60% more. This can mean peaks of up to 1.5 Gbps of speed at times of high data demand.