Qualcomm, Ericsson and Telefónica deliver Spain's inaugural commercial mmWave 5G network

Telefónica is the only carrier operating in Spain with access to a full 1GHz spectrum (and, thus, the potential to deliver download speeds of 5Gb/s or faster one day). It has also announced support for mmWave 5G today (February 17, 2023) - just in time for the upcoming MWC event in Barcelona.

The network's new 26GHz services have been deployed using hardware from its partners Qualcomm and Ericsson, the latter of which has contributed its "high-capacity" custom RAN Processor 6651 and AIR 5322 radio to the project. 

Accordingly, the partners assert that Telefónica mmWave 5G is ready to cover the Fira Gran Via venue's Hall 3 during MWC 2023, powering the various Snapdragon-powered premium mobile devices, laptops and CPEs to be exhibited on Qualcomm Technologies' Device Bar (located in Booth 3E10) from February 27 to March 4, 2023.

Telefónica España's Director of Radio Access Gerardo Rovira notes that the carrier's ability to deploy commercial mmWave "goes a long way in showing the commitment that Telefónica has in the development and leadership of a strong 5G ecosystem that will be a key factor in bringing compelling services for both the public and private sectors”.

Meanwhile, its partners Qualcomm and Ericsson remain assert that this kind of 5G is ideal for demanding applications such as hotspots in areas that might be able to support a high density of base-stations.

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