Telekom Slovenije has started significantly upgrading its network to enhance 5G coverage and capacity. In 2023, the company invested over EUR 22 million in its mobile network, with plans to more than double this amount in 2024. According to Telekom Slovenije, this investment is in response to a 33 percent annual increase in data usage by its mobile users.
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Expanding 5G Coverage Across Slovenia
The telco reported that nearly one-third of its customers are currently connected to its 5G network, a number that continues to rise as more devices support the technology. As Slovenia's largest mobile operator, Telekom Slovenije upgraded over 300 base stations with 5G technology in 2021, covering 33 percent of the population. With upgrades planned for 2023 and 2024, the company plans to equip nearly 1,000 of its more than 1,500 base stations with 5G, targeting 99 percent population coverage next year.
Focus on Networks
The modernisation efforts include upgrades to the core, transport, and radio access networks, focusing on expanding 5G coverage to smaller towns, tourist areas, and motorways. Over the past 18 months, the capacity of Telekom Slovenije's mobile network has increased by over 30 percent, while the 5G network capacity has tripled during the same period, the company said.
"We continuously expand, upgrade, and update our network with the latest technologies, optimising frequency spectrum usage and energy consumption. Recently, we have restructured and upgraded the core network, enhanced and optimized the access network, and upgraded the back-end equipment, along with further improving connections to base stations. Our network is fully prepared across all levels for the continued rollout of the most advanced 5G technologies. This enables us to provide users with even more secure, reliable, and faster mobile internet with low latency," said Telekom Slovenije.
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"The modernisation and expansion of the 5G network have been underway intensively since last year, following the completion of the first phase. We are now in the second phase, the largest in Telekom Slovenije's history, where we are intensively upgrading the core, transport, and radio access networks. 5G is now available even in towns with fewer than 1,000 residents, in tourist areas, and along the motorway network. This expansion of 5G coverage is the result of the efforts of over 200 experts who ensure the superior quality of our network every day. In the final phase, we will further enhance coverage with a focus on signal quality, and data transfer speeds will be even higher. We will also completely renovate the core network," Telekom Slovenije added.
Energy Efficiency Amidst Growing Data Traffic
Telekom Slovenije says it is also committed to energy efficiency, having managed a 40-fold increase in data traffic over the past decade with only a 10 percent rise in electricity consumption. Currently, the company's 4G network covers 98 percent of the population, and 5G coverage reaches 65 percent. Users can also access fixed services (internet, television, and fixed telephony) via 4G and 5G technologies.
