22.3.2018
- Hrvatski Telekom is among the first operators in Europe to launch the commercial offering of 1 Gbit/s symmetrical Internet speed based on a new technology concept deploying optical infrastructure
- With the introduction of this speed, HT included new packages in its offering that will enable customers to surf at speeds of up to 50 times the current rate and to watch MAXtv content in 4K resolution
- The new technology opens new possibilities of using Internet-based services. With a basic speed of 500 Mbit/s and extremely fast ping response, the customer can freely surf, play video games in the Cloud, watch the most demanding video content on multiple devices, and “communicate” with the refrigerator or lighting system
Ivan Šarić, Boris Drilo, Richard Brešković and Tanja Goja
Hrvatski Telekom, the forerunner of digitalisation and digital transformation in Croatia, has launched the commercial offering of Internet access based on the advanced TeraStream technology concept which provides speeds of up to 1 Gbit/s (symmetrical upload/download). By introduction of the new generation of fibre optics, the new packages provide surfing at speeds of up to 50 times the current rate and watching of MAXtv content in 4K resolution. At the launch event for the new service, aiming to give a clear picture of how fast this new technology was, HT downloaded the song “Stup od soli” (“Pillar of Salt”) from the Boa concert, the first concert in Croatia recorded in 4K technology.
“Today, we have complemented our offering with the service of Internet access based on a new telecommunications network concept which provides simpler implementation and integration of advanced services of the future. This technology allows for extremely fast connection of a large number of devices to the Internet, thus creating the conditions for a new wave of technology changes which we at HT are prepared to support. At this point, we are offering TeraStream to residential customers within certain areas of Zagreb, Split, and Karlovac”, said Boris Drilo, Member of the Management Board and Chief Technical and Information Officer.
The new generation fibre optics offers new possibilities of using Internet-based services. With a basic speed of 500 Mbit/s, the customer can freely surf, play video games in the Cloud, watch the most demanding video content on multiple devices, and “communicate” with the refrigerator or lighting system. The network architecture has been substantially simplified, which provides extremely fast ping response of just 2-3 ms.
What’s more, this technology provides impressive Internet bitrates via WiFi, where download speeds go up to 500 Mbit/s, while upload speeds go up to 300 Mbit/s.
Two packages are available – MAXnet (stand-alone Internet) and MAX2 (voice service + Internet) with a basic Internet access speed of 500 Mbit/s, which can be increased by the customers to 1 Gbit/s in real time, via the My Telekom portal. To be able to watch certain TV content, customers are given the option to purchase one of the new MAXtv to Go packages, among them the 4K package, and the Android STB, and to use them via TeraStream, but also via other networks of Hrvatski Telekom.
Hrvatski Telekom is the first operator within the Deutsche Telekom Group to have commercialised this service, and it is also among the first telecom operators in Europe to commercially offer surfing speeds of up to 1 Gbit/s to its customers. In addition to experts of Hrvatski Telekom, experts from Deutsche Telekom Group and numerous partners, Nokia, Cisco, Combis, Juniper, Ericsson, Inteno, and others, have been involved in the realisation of this project.
Simultaneously to the commercial introduction of TeraStream technology, HT is actively investing in technology, forming the 5G infrastructure. Last year, HT invested HRK 1.745 billion in infrastructure, which is 8.5 per cent more than in 2016, and this year, investments will be even higher. Throughout the last four years, total investment exceeded HRK 6 billion, and this is why HT alone will achieve 70 % of the European Digital Agenda 2020 targets for Croatia.
About TeraStream Technology
TeraStream technology combines network technology, data centre technology, and optical fibre infrastructure in a way to enable throughput of a large volume of data at extremely high speeds. TeraStream is fully based on the IPv6 protocol, providing a large number of IP addresses to each user. This means that each household appliance, from refrigerators to ovens to security systems and computers, can have its own public IP address. TeraStream implies that all the services are provided from the Cloud, which allows creation of a solid and simple technology framework capable to support the extremely high increase in traffic and new services in the future. The extraordinary speeds provided by this technology can be used via WiFi that will provide up to 500 Mbit/s in download and up to 300 Mbit/s in upload.