Cosmote has launched the first commercial 5G network in Greece, in Athens, Thessaloniki and other Greek cities. In certain areas, the maximum network speeds exceed 1Gbps. The announcement comes shortly after it acquired 5G licences in the 700 MHz, 2 GHz, 3400-3800 MHz and 26 GHz bands for EUR 123 million in the country's 5G tender. The group also reiterated its four-year investment plan of EUR 2 billion, which will go mainly to 5G and FTTH networks.
The Cosmote 5G network is accessible to all Cosmote subscribers, residential and business, without extra charge and regardless of their mobile plan (prepaid, post-paid, cost control). The only prerequisite is to have a 5G device certified in the Cosmote network. At the moment, such devices include the Apple iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max; the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra; and the Xiaomi Mi10T Pro, Mi10T, Mi10T Lite, Mi10 Pro and Mi10. In collaboration with the largest manufacturers, more and more devices will be certified, Cosmote said.
For the commercial launch, Cosmote uses 5G equipment from Ericsson. 5G base stations at 3.5GHz were licensed and activated with the already available spectrum, allowing speeds that reach or exceed 1Gbps in selected parts of Athens, Thessaloniki and other cities. At the same time, the technology-neutral band also used by Cosmote for 4G contributes to the larger population coverage of the 5G network.
Cosmote 5G will soon expand to more areas throughout Greece, while mobile internet speeds and network latency will gradually improve. The population coverage is expected to exceed 50 percent by the end of 2021. Cosmote has already signed agreements with foreign networks to provide its customers with 5G roaming services in selected EU countries. 5G roaming availability will constantly expand. The 5G network's full potential will be realised with the integration of the new spectrum allocated to Cosmote through the auction, the group said.
Cosmote plans to cover the country's highways with 5G connectivity, including some 2,000 km of roads, by the end of 2023, as a prerequisite for the implementation of the 'Connected highways' project. Part of the 'Bible of Digital Transformation', the construction of '5G Corridors' will significantly benefit the export/import industry by allowing the automated movement of trucks from and to ports and airports, and thus positively influencing overall economic growth, the company said.
