Greece - 5G on the move...

Greece’s telecom market continues to suffer from tough economic conditions, with long-term financial strain on the public still affecting revenue and investment. However, there are signs of recovery and renewed confidence. 

Greece’s well-developed mobile market is dominated by the three mobile network operators Wind Hellas, Vodafone Greece and Cosmote. Operators continue to invest in LTE infrastructure and technologies to provide networks capable of meeting customer demand for data services. Although the MNOs have trialled 5G since 2019, commercial services await the auction of suitable spectrum: the regulator expects to auction spectrum in the 3.4-3.8GHz range later in 2020, followed by 700MHz spectrum in 2021.

All three MNOs have closely attached subsidiaries that resell their offers: Frog Mobile on Cosmote, Tazamobile on Vodafone and Q on Wind. There are hardly independent MVNOs on the market.

Their frequencies: 

Cosmote is the national provider with the most subscribers and the best coverage in 2G, 3G and 4G/LTE. 4G is given out without surcharge to all customers including prepaid plans. 4G/LTE covers at least 95% of population in 2018. 4G+ can be found in many areas and 3CA (3+7+20) is very common in big cities achieving great speeds (up to 300 Mbps). Even if your phone does not support 4G+, the speeds that you will achieve are great. It is currently the fastest (overall) network.

Cosmote has announced the commercial launch of its 5G network in Athens, Thessaloniki and other Greek cities, with speeds exceeding 1Gbps in certain areas. The company is aiming to increase coverage to over 50% of the population by the end of 2021, with 100% 5G coverage of 2,000km of highways by the end of 2023. The 5G network is accessible to all Cosmote subscribers with compatible devices, at no additional charge and regardless of their mobile plan.

Vodafone Greece is the 2nd network in Greece. Their 4G speeds are ok-ish but don#t expect anything crazy-fast especially in remote areas or villages. 4G+ or 2CA (3+20 or 3+7) can be found in very big cities/busy areas. They claim to have 4G speeds faster than anyone else, but that is not the case.

In last years 5G spectrum auction Vodafone reportedly spent €130 million on 14 blocks in the 3.4GHz to 3.8GHz range; two blocks of 700MHz; four blocks of 2GHz; and two blocks of 26GHz.

They have now launched their Giga Network 5G, the new state-of-the-art network, with high speeds and the immediate response. With first stations in areas of Athens and Thessaloniki, the Vodafone Giga Network 5G is already operational and by the end of this financial year a population coverage of 40% will have been achieved. At the same time, through the parallel modernization of the 4G network, Vodafone 4G customers will also benefit from an improved connection experience and higher speeds - up to 50% - from day one. In addition, Vodafone already has the first 5G devices, while within two months the available devices will be more than twenty.

Wind is the smallest network provider in Greece. Their 4G speeds are usually slow and thus they are the slowest (overall) network in Greece. In many tourist attractions, Wind has done a great job and their 4G speeds are acceptable. 4G+ or 2CA is not common in Wind but when it is found, it usually is B3+B20 or B7+B20.

They have selected Ericsson to deploy their core network for standalone (SA) and non-standalone (NSA) 5G. The Swedish vendor will also supply a suite of business support system (BSS) solutions to help the telco improve customer experience and launch 5G-enabled services for both private and business users.

Wind Hellas also announced that they switched on their 5G mobile network on 18 December – a matter of days after winning frequencies in the country’s multi-band 5G spectrum auction. The network will initially serve Athens and Thessaloniki, while coverage of other major cities will follow in due course. 5G population coverage is expected to exceed 60% within three years. Certified 5G handsets include the Xiaomi Mi 10T, the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro, the Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite, the Huawei P40 DS and the Huawei P40 Pro DS. Users can expect to receive download speeds of up to 1Gbps. 

Maroc Telecom Rebrands as Moov Africa

Earlier this week Commsupdate reported that Maroc Telecom is rebranding its eleven subsidiaries in Africa as Moov Africa, effective 1 January 2021. The company, which has more than 70 million customers on the continent, has revealed its plans to unite its subsidiaries around a single identity: ‘This new identity illustrates the vision of the Maroc Telecom group “Africa on the move”, which lies in the principle of sharing the group’s know-how and its capacity for innovation for the benefit of the countries in which it operates’.

While we looked at Maroc Telecom's presence back in 2018. Since then things haven't moved on too much but the chart above is from the latest available update. 

Cemac Eco Finance added in their release of the news regarding above:

Today, a new chapter in this shared epic opens with a new brand identity that brings together all the subsidiaries of the Maroc Telecom Group under  a single shared identity , with a larger territory of presence and  synergy effects.  which will contribute to the commercial influence of the brand in each country.

This new identity illustrates  the Maroc Telecom Group's vision  : “  Africa on the move  ”, which lies in the principle of sharing the group's know-how and its capacity for innovation for the benefit of the countries in which it operates.

Thus, as of 1 st  January 2021, Gabon Telecom communicate under the trademark  "Moov Gabon Telecom Africa  ", with a new graphic sign that shows membership in Morocco Telecom Group and adopt the slogan "  A new world calls you"  to the global operator, which is part of the continuity of a promise of a world of innovations which is constantly being renewed.

To assert this new brand identity and make it known to as many people as possible, the MOOV AFRICA GABON TELECOM subsidiary is launching a communication campaign common to all the countries in which the Group is present:  a continental campaign with the participation of a world champion the sporting legend,  Teddy Riner , who is about to compete for his 4 th  Olympic medal and has not failed to lend his voice and likeness to Morocco Telecom Group for wearing loud colors operator global telecommunications company of which he has been the ambassador since 2017.

The new Moov Africa brand identity of the Maroc Telecom Group thus marks a further step in the international development of the Maroc Telecom Group, and thus reaffirms the unequivocal commitment of the Maroc Telecom Group alongside Gabon to offer the best products and services to its customers.

THE ORIGINS OF MOOV AFRICA

The name:

The choice of the new brand name for all the African subsidiaries has its roots in the “MOOV” brand, already present in 50% of the Maroc Telecom Group territory and which illustrates this strong image of movement, renewal and life.

The Ellipse:

Symbolizes  dynamism , one of the founding values ​​on which the culture of the Maroc Telecom Group is based in all the countries where it is active.

The MOOV name reinforces this momentum of dynamism and movement.

The Losanges:

Evoke  the  digital  and  technological universe  in which the group operates.

Colors :

The  blue , evoking the world of technology and innovation, orange, symbol of energy and vitality, represents the sun, the warmth, vitality and African generosity.

Signature :

This is the promise of the Maroc Telecom Group.

A historic signature, which has experience and consistency, through the achievements and major innovations brought by the operator for more than 20 years. And which paradoxically, remains definitively current through a promise which is constantly renewed: "A new world calls you". The word "call" is defined here in the primary and universal sense of communication; that of creating a link, the link towards this new world and therefore the future in all that it brings of innovations and technological and societal benefits.

The video below shows the transition from Green to Blue, Moov Bénin becomes Moov Africa

Related Posts:

• Operator Watch Blog: Maroc Telecom's African Presence
• Operator Watch Blog - Morocco: Emerging 5G Markets of Africa 

Brazil is hopeful of getting 5G this year

 

Brazil has four major operators resulting from numerous mergers and acquisitions, they share 97% of the mobile market:  Vivo (Telefónica Brazil, owned by Spanish Telefónica), TIM (owned by Telecom Italia), Claro (owned by Mexican América Móvil) and Oi (formerly Brasil Telecom).

Vivo (pronounced like 'VEE-voo') is the largest mobile carrier in Brazil, which is owned by Telefónica from Spain and has 32% of the Brazilian market share in 2018. From their total of 75 million subscribers only 57% are using prepaid plans. It was the last operator to allow prepaid customers on 4G/LTE in 2015. Vivo is known to have the most reliable network at the highest rates in the country.

Vivo's network has national coverage and it became the brand for all consumer services provided by Telefónica in Brazil, which include broadband internet, TV subscription and fixed telephone lines.

TIM (pronounced like 'cheem'), owned by Telecom Italia, is the prepaid leader in the country. It’s the overall no. 3 with a total share of 24% or 56 million subscribers, 79.5% are using a prepaid plan. TIM is present in all Brazilian states. 

Claro (pronounced like 'CLAH-row') is the third largest mobile operator in Brazil owned by Mexican América Móvil. It has kept a 25% of the Brazilian market share making it no.2 in the country. Of their total of 59 million subscribers, 74% are using a prepaid plan.

Claro's network has national coverage and similar to Vivo, Claro offers additional services, like fixed broadband connection, telephone line and TV subscription.

Claro partnered with Ericsson to present the first 5G stadium in Brazil. The event, which took place during the Led Zeppelin show in Concert no Allianz Parque Hall, included the first holographic transmission in real time in the country performed with 5G technology.

Oi (the Brazilian word for 'hi') is the fourth largest mobile operator in Brazil that is currently owned by CorpCo, a joint venture with Portugal Telecom, and has 17% of the Brazilian market share. Of their total of 39 million subscribers, they have a high prepaid share. 81% are using a prepaid plan making Oi the number two on the prepaid phone market.

Oi network has national coverage and also offers additional services similar to other major operators, like fixed broadband connection, telephone line and TV subscription.

Oi may be the smallest of the big four, but it has the largest WI-FI network in Brazil with more than 1 million access points. Oi has furthermore a national roaming agreement with TIM closing some gaps due to its lower coverage. 

A consortium comprising Telefonica, Telecom Italia and America Movil’s Claro secured a BRL16.5 billion ($3.2 billion) agreement to acquire Oi’s mobile business, a deal expected to be completed in 2021.

According to the recent Open Signal report, when comes to the consumer mobile network experience in Brazil, it is a two-horse race develop between Claro and TIM.

The rollout of 4G on the 700 MHz spectrum band in Brazil is having a big impact, as users on networks that have implemented it are spending more time on 4G and are on average enjoying faster download speeds. Also seen is a cascading effect of this on the Video and Voice App Experience as upload and latency measurements have also improved. And with an upcoming auction of 5G licenses — including more spectrum in the 700 MHz band — Open Signal expects the mobile network experience to continue to improve as the market matures.

The Brazilian government aims to carry out a tender to award 5G spectrum by the end of the first half of 2021, according to Brazilian press reports. According to government officials, the future 5G spectrum auction will be “the largest auction for the right to use radio frequency of the country’s history“.

Brazil has joined a US-led proposal for building transparent and reliable 5G networks, representing another blow to Chinese vendor Huawei which is regarded as the main target of the scheme; 31 of 37 OECD countries already joined the pact, which now counts a total 49 nations.

Reuters reported Brazilian operators had been offered financial support by US authorities to opt for kit from Western vendors including Nokia and Ericsson, but they were not willing to reduce their choices and were already testing Huawei equipment before a 5G auction in the country, expected in 2021.

Slovenia is getting Better 5G this year

 

Slovenia’s competitive mobile market has three major mobile network operators and a small number of mobile virtual network operators, operating in a country with a potential market of just over two million people. The regulator in recent years has addressed the need of mobile operators for more spectrum, conducting a series of auctions. Mobile spectrum licenses have stipulated population coverage and data rate targets.

The 3 major operators: Telekom Slovenije (formely Mobitel), A1 Slovenija (fomerly si.mobil) and Telemach mob. (formerly tušmobil).

2G/GSM is on 900 and 1800 MHz, 3G on 900 and 2100 MHz. 4G/LTE has started on 800, 900, 1800 and 2600 MHz (bands 1, 3, 7, 20) on all three operators. In 2018 both Telekom and A1 cover 98% and Telemach 90% of the Slovenian population with 4G/LTE. Telekom Slovenije also covers 86% of the population with LTE-A. 5G has started in 2020 on Telekom Slovenije on n7 and n38 and covers 25% of the population, mostly in major cities.

Telekom Slovenije is the biggest operator in the country. They are market leader with a 45% share in 2016. Their 4G/LTE is accessible for prepaid and covers 98% of the population already. It has frequencies on 800, 900, 1800 and 2600 MHz (B20, B8, B3, B7). It's the first provider to offer 5G, but not yet for prepaid.

Ericsson and Telekom Slovenije, launched the first commercial 5G network in Slovenia in July 2020.The new 5G services were switched on through a software installation to existing Ericsson Radio System and Packet Core equipment which will enable spectrum sharing between 4G and 5G on the 2600MHz FDD spectrum - traditionally used for 4G only. Under the terms of the 5G deal, Ericsson is supplying Telekom Slovenije with RAN and Packet Core solutions.

Initial 5G services are available in major cities across Slovenia, covering an estimated 25 percent of the population. Telekom Slovenije aims to increase its 5G coverage to 33 percent of the population by end of 2020.

A1 Slovenija is the 2nd provider in the country. It belongs to Telekom Austria Group, is the local Vodafone partner and has a 31% market share in 2016. It has changed its brand name from Si.mobil to A1 Slovenija. The rebranding has been implemented in 2017 across the company's fixed and mobile activities.

LTE started on 1800 MHz (B3) and recently on 800 MHz (B20) and is open for prepaid. It's coverage is on par with Telecom Slovenije and covers 98% of population by LTE in 2018 and covers Ljubljana, Maribor, Kranj, Celje in Slovenj Gradec with LTE-A

Telemach started as tušmobil in 2007 and is now the 3rd operator with a 15% market share in Slovenia what coverage and customers are concerned. In 2015 it was acquired by the leading cable TV and internet broadband provider Telemach to offer triple-play and was rebranded to Telemach in 2015. 4G/LTE has started and covers 90% of population so far. 2G is at 99% and 3G at 98%. Through a national roaming agreement it uses Telekom Slovenije's 2G and 3G outside of its own coverage. As smallest operator, it gives the lowest rates and highest bonuses

In December, the Slovenian regulator AKOS has announced a tender for 5G frequencies. The auction is expected to be completed by the Spring. Akos published a tender in the Official Gazette with a public auction for the allocation of several frequency bands for the provision of public communications services to end users. This officially marked the beginning of the process of allocating six frequency bands, which also include the 700 and 3600 MHz and 26 GHz bands, which are intended for the introduction of the new 5G mobile technology. In addition to these, other frequency bands are included in the tender, all of which will otherwise be awarded in a technology-neutral manner; therefore, customers will be able to use them for any mobile technology.

Back in August 2020, Slovenia signed a declaration on 5G security, joining a group of countries agreeing with the U.S. to guard their networks in a way that could block China’s Huawei Technologies Co. from taking part. At a security conference in Prague in 2019, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Latvia and Estonia signed joint statements with the U.S. similar to the one Slovenia inked Thursday. In it, they pledged to block access to companies that might be subject to foreign state interference.

Top 5 Posts for 2020

Here are the top 5 posts on this blog for 2020:

1. How many 5G Cell Towers & Base Stations Worldwide?, August 2020

2. NTT Docomo outlines their 5G Journey and 5G Network Deployment details, October 2020

3. NTT Docomo Provides an Overview of 5G Commercial Service, July 2020

4. USA has an interesting mix of different types of 5G, March 2020

5. Is Saudi Arabia Winning the 5G Race?, August 2020

Related Posts:

• The 3G4G Blog: Top 10 Posts for 2020 and Top 5 Videos
• Connectivity Technology Blog: Top 5 Posts for 2020
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Top 5 Posts for 2020
• Operator Watch Blog: Top 5 Posts for 2019
• Operator Watch Blog: Top 5 posts for 2018

5G to get Better in Spain Next Year

Spain’s telecom market is one of the largest in Europe, supported by a population of more than 46 million. Mobile penetration is on a par with the European average and there remains room for further growth, particularly in the mobile broadband segment which has been supported by continuing investment in infrastructure among operators. With LTE almost universally available, the focus among operators has shifted to services based on 5G. Vodafone Spain was the first operator to launch a 5G network, in June 2019. The other players planned to wait until after the auction of spectrum in the 700MHz band, though the COVID-19 crisis has delayed this to June 2020.

The fixed-line broadband sector has also been backed by investment in fibre infrastructure, enabling providers to develop improved bundled services and to compete more effectively. The regulator has fostered competition by providing access to Telefónica’s DSL and FttP networks, while network sharing agreements have meant that Orange Spain, Vodafone Spain and Másmóvil have become significant operators. By the beginning of 2020 fibre accounted for about 67% of all fixed broadband connections. Telefónica alone expected to provide complete FttP coverage by 2024.

Spain has 4 network operators: Movistar (owned by Telefónica), Vodafone, Orange and Yoigo (with free roaming on Orange and Movistar).The country is all covered by 2G and mostly by 3G up to HSPA+ and DC-HSPA and 4G/LTE in towns. Nationwide the big three providers Movistar, Vodafone and Orange are neck on neck with a similar coverage and market shares. 2G is on 900 and 1800 MHz, 3G on 900 and 2100 MHz. Yoigo is a 3G/4G-only network with limited own resources, but free roaming on Orange and Movistar, giving it a very good coverage too.

4G/LTE was launched by all operators in 2013 using 800 (B20), 1800 (B3) and 2600 (B7) MHz frequencies. In 2017 Vodafone had the best 4G/LTE coverage at 96.5% followed by Orange with 91.7%, Movistar and Yoigo at 89% of the population.

5G was started in 2019 by Vodafone and Telefónica on 3500 (n78) in some city areas. So far only Vodafone has made 5G accessible for prepaid users on some plans.

According to Open Signal network tests in 2020 all 4 providers remain very much on par at 89-91% 4G/LTE coverage. Movistar has proven to be the fastest network with 34 Mbit/s on average.

Orange in Spain has expanded its 5G coverage to three new cities after launching the new network technology in September. The new cities covered by Orange’s 5G network are Zaragoza, Logroño and Pamplona, which adds to Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville and Malaga. Orange also said it expects to launch 5G in 93 towns and cities across Spain before the end of 2020.

Orange has launched commercial 5G services in Spain in September using equipment provided by Ericsson. The European carrier is currently offering this technology through spectrum in the 3.6-3.8MHz band using NSA architecture. 

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 multiple-input multiple-output, which increases network capacity and spectral efficiency.Ericsson also supplied 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.

The Vodafone network has 2G up to EDGE, 3G, 4G/LTE and now on 5G NR up to 1 Gbit/s open for all prepaid tariffs and plans. Meanwhile, it has expanded its 4G/LTE coverage to most areas. In 2019 5G NR started in 15 city centers on 3500 MHz (n78) and has been made accessible on some tariffs.

This was Spain’s first commercial 5G network in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Malaga, Zaragoza, Bilbao, Vitoria, San Sebastian, La Coruna, Vigo, Gijon, Pamplona, Logrono and Santander in June 2019. The carrier had previously said that it was working with Huawei and Ericsson in the deployment of the 5G network.

Movistar by Telefónica is on 2G up to EDGE, 3G up to HSPA+ and 4G/LTE. 5G NR has started but is not available for prepaid so far.

Telefónica is still the incumbent and main landline provider and used to be market leader in Spain, but its prepaid offer was not competitive enough. This changed in 2019 when Movistar finally released affordable prepaid options in promotions.

Telefonica has already activated its 5G network in 640 towns and cities across the country, according to recent press reports. They already provides its 5G service to approximately 42% of the Spanish population. The telco previously said it aims to cover 75% of the population with the new technology by the end of 2020.

In September, the Spanish telco announced the launch of non-standalone (NSA) 5G commercial services in the country. Telefonica’s initial 5G deployment phase included 150 cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants, almost all the cities with 30,000, more than 50% of those with 20,000 inhabitants and some with more than 10,000 inhabitants.

The operator is offering its 5G service through spectrum in the 3.5 GHz and 1.8-2.1 GHz bands. Telefónica previously said that it had initially launched 5G services thanks to a technology that combines the deployment of NSA (non-standalone) 5G and DSS (Dynamic Spectrum Sharing). Telefonica said it will launch a standalone (SA) 5G network across Spain once the technology becomes “fully available” after standardization.

Yoigo network operates up to HSPA+, 4G/LTE on 1800 MHz with free roaming on Orange network, giving a good coverage. They claim 85% 4G/LTE coverage on their own, but even more with their free roaming partner.

In 2016 they were sold from Telia to Másmóvil. From 2018 Yoigo customers can roam on Orange networks on 2G, 3G and 4G/LTE for free as well as Yoigo's own antennas giving it a very good coverage in the country.

In September 2020, Masmovil launched its 5G service in 15 cities across Spain for the customers of its Yoigo brand. The carrier said that the 5G service is being offered via a combination of own infrastructure and an agreement with rival operator Orange.

A possible integration between Vodafone Spain and MásMóvil has been reported.

Related Posts: 

• Operator Watch Blog - MásMóvil: Mass operator of Spain
• Operator Watch Blog: Spain's 5G Spectrum Auction Winners 

East Timor is focusing on improving LTE coverage

 

The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor occupies the eastern half of Timor island located in the Indonesian archipelago. It became independent in 1999 and recognized as a sovereign state in 2002.

Due to a limited number of fixed lines as well as the dominance of the mobile platform, fixed broadband penetration in Timor Leste remains very low. However, the market has grown strongly over the past five years from a very small base, driven by a rising level of mobile subscribers with smartphones. However, the mobile broadband market is still at an early stage of development. Over the next five years to 2023 the market is expected to grow very strongly but overall market penetration will remain extremely low compared to other nations.

All three major mobile operators: Timor Telecom (TT), Telkomcel  (Telin Timor-Leste) and Telemor (Viettel Timor-Leste) have recently launched 4G LTE services. A local consortium has submitted an application to become the country’s fourth telecoms operator. Ceslink intends to offer high-quality, high-speed and affordable telecoms services in all areas of the country.

2G and 3G is on all three operators in the country, 4G/LTE started in 2017 on all three operators too. Mobile phone coverage is fairly good in most of the country (some rugged rural areas can be hard to get a signal). 3G has decent coverage in the major towns (again, the best provider can vary by location), but it's hard to get coverage in smaller towns.

Telemor is operated by Vietnamese army backed Viettel and has beaten TT and became the most popular provider with 47% market share in 2017. It started as late as 2013 and has built up a good coverage ever since. 2G and 3G is on 900 and 1800 MHz covering more than 95%.

In 2017 they have started 4G/LTE on 1800 MHz. The new high speed service is available in all 13 of Timor-Leste’s districts, providing territorial coverage of 70%.

Timor Telecom was the market leader for a long time, but lost to Telemor recently. It used to be the only player from 2003, until in 2012 two new competitors have been licensed. It is co-owned by the E.Timor state and Brazilian Oi. It still has a good coverage, but the highest rates. About 94% of the population is covered at 188 2G and 122 3G sites.

2G/GSM is on 900 MHz and for 3G TT uses 2100 MHz network frequency in Dili and 850 MHz band elsewhere. 4G/LTE has started in 2017 on 1800 MHz (B3)

Telkomcel owned by Indonesian Telin (Telekomunikasi Indonesia) is the 3rd operator with a low 13% share in 2015. It covers 95% of the population already. 2G and 3G is both on 850 MHz only, which is rare in Asia for 3G. So check before, if your device can handle it.

It was the last operator that started 4G/LTE in 2017 for their 5th anniversary starting from Dili area, and continuing to expand to other districts.

Timor-Leste’s National Communications Authority (Autoridade Nacional de Comunicacoes, ANC) has invited mobile operators to submit applications for the allocation of spectrum in the 1800MHz, 2300MHz and 2600MHz bands. The move follows a consultation meeting held last month between the regulator and operators in response to new policy guidelines issued by the Ministry of Transport and Communications on maximising the use of radio frequency spectrum in Timor-Leste (No. 04/2020 of 23 September 2020).

In releasing spectrum in the 1800MHz, 2300MHz and 2600MHz bands, the ANC said it is aiming to: support the implementation of government policies; meet the need of mobile service providers, especially to provide better data services for customers in urban areas; promote the efficient use of radio frequency spectrum; and promote competition in the sector.