15. 6. 2021
Telekom Slovenije was the only Slovenian operator to launch a national fifth generation mobile network (5G) last year, currently providing a population coverage above 33% across Slovenia, and today it further upgraded its network at several locations across Ljubljana with additional frequency spectrum in the 3600 MHz band.
In the immediate future it plans to upgrade its 5G network in Bled and Brdo pri Kranju, which will allow Telekom Slovenije to provide cutting edge communication services when Slovenia takes over the rotating presidency of the European Council. This is the next step in the development of mobile communications, and the first 5G network in Slovenia is designed to provide users with additional capacity, and an even faster and more stable data transfer. Telekom Slovenije reached this new important milestone exactly 30 years after it launched its first mobile telephony network based on NMT technology.
“5G is an important foundation of modern digital society, which Telekom Slovenije is actively co-creating. We are introducing new features, developing smart city and smart community solutions, with the help of our partners we represent a significant part of Industry 4.0, and we are focusing on public safety and healthcare. In addition, we are also making sure to ensure a high level of cybersecurity, which is one of the fundamentals of trust in a connected world. Our network guaranties residential users and businesses the most advanced and safest future,” Cvetko Sršen, President of the Management Board of Telekom Slovenije, commented on the latest developmental milestone.
By obtaining additional frequency bands and through continued network development, Telekom Slovenije’s 5G network will provide speeds of up to 2 Gbps with considerably shorter response times, while new services will become available to users on increasingly advanced terminal equipment. Uplink speeds will also be significantly faster, which is increasingly important because of the rising importance of video conferencing services.
Telekom Slovenije launched its upgraded network on the same day it obtained the radio frequencies it was awarded following the frequency auction for additional frequency spectrum by the Agency for Communication Networks and Services. “The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digitalisation among the population and in the economy, and has additionally emphasised the importance of reliable, modern, fast, and secure communications for both individuals and businesses. Our users already have access to the highest capacity 5G network with excellent coverage with the latest services, and we have also been expanding our fibre optics network, as nearly 400,000 Slovenian households, i.e., a half of the population, now has the option to connect to it. These are important milestones for the digitalisation of Slovenia,” emphasised Mitja Štular, PhD, member of the Management Board with responsibility for technology.
As of 1 June, Telekom Slovenije has given access to the 5G network to all of its mobile subscribers free of charge, and the activation is automatic with the mobile phone’s first connection to the 5G network. Users can also activate the free 5G service by sending a text message with the keyword 5G to 1918, or in the Moj Telekom portal.
The leading Slovenian network for 30 years. Telekom Slovenije provides the best user experience to more than one million users, while continued planned development ensures a reliable, stable and secure connectivity with the highest speeds. This allows it to meet the expectations of its users and other operators using its network. Users trust Telekom Slovenije’s network the most, as it was once again awarded the Trusted Brand certificate, receiving the highest rating in Slovenia.
Last but not least, the network’s superiority was also confirmed by the research conducted by OpenSignal, which represents an independent global standard for measuring the quality of mobile networks based on a transparent methodology and real user experience. The results of the research that also included 5G have shown that Telekom Slovenije’s network is the best across all seven categories: video experience, gaming, voice app usage, downlink speed, uplink speed, 4G availability and 4G coverage. The research was conducted between 1 December 2020 and 28 February 2021.