O2 will expand 5G coverage by 650 locations, mainly in South Moravia. By the end of the year, he wants to have the entire network – MobilMania.cz – modernized

O2 outlined further plans to cover the Czech territory with 5G networks. The operator, in cooperation with its sister company CETIN, recently completed coverage in the Moravian-Silesian region (we wrote about it here) and at the same time outlined the nearest plans for expanding the fifth generation network. The plan is now even more ambitious – 650 more locations will be added this year, and the modernization of the network should be almost complete by the end of the year.

How O2 uses frequency band in network upgrade | Source: CETIN

Currently, the 5G network covers 88.6% of the population and 59% of the territory of the Czech Republic. The operator has the most locations to cover in South Moravia. The north is already done, and the west of the republic (with the exception of Prague) is not to be worried about thanks to the network sharing agreement with T-Mobile – this work will be done for him by his partner. Compared to the third Vodafone, the situation with the introduction of 5G is significantly easier (and also cheaper) for both larger operators.

The growth of data consumption calls for increased capacity

“By the end of this year, we will complete the modernization of a significant part of the network. By the following year, 2025, only individual, more complex, harder-to-access base stations will remain,” says Jan Hruška, technical director of O2. These are localities where, for example, the building on which the O2 base station is located is being renovated and coordination of the work is needed.

As the consumption of mobile data grows, the operator focuses not only on expanding the covered area but also on strengthening the capacity of base stations. “In the coming years, we plan gradual development according to the development of demand. We will increase the capacity of base stations where there is the largest data traffic, whether generated by mobile data or fixed wireless internet” added Hruška.

According to O2’s operational statistics, average data consumption per customer has increased more than twelvefold over the past five years. Year-on-year data consumption per customer increased by 30%. The total installed capacity for O2 networks corresponds to this trend, which is five times higher than 5 years ago. At peak times, such as major sporting events, O2’s radio networks handle nine times the data streams of previous years.