27.2.2019
- Deutsche Telekom wins the award for outstanding achievement in preparing infrastructure for the commercial launch of 5G in Europe
- The focus on modernizing infrastructure and continuously raising awareness of the opportunities opened up by the 5G technological revolution is responsible for positioning Croatia at the very top of Europe and the world by the level of readiness for the introduction of the 5G network
Boris Drilo, CTIO of Hrvatski Telekom and DT representatives at MWC Barcelona
At this year's MWC in Barcelona, the prestigious world event gathering the biggest global experts and presenting innovations in the field of mobile technologies, Deutsche Telekom has been awarded a special European 5G Pioneer Award It is a reward that has confirmed that Deutsche Telekom is leading the commercial launch of 5G services in Europe, which includes the preparation of network infrastructure and the development of 5G ecosystems. The award was given by GSMA, the MWC organizer, and the European Commission, and is part of the category of Extraordinary Achievements whose task is to highlight individuals and companies with an outstanding contribution to digital society.
“The winner of this year's European 5G Pioneer Award demonstrates that the commercial introduction of the 5G network in Europe is ahead of us. We believe that other key actors will follow the example of DT in order to fully develop the 5G ecosystems,” claims Roberto Viola, representative of the European Commission.
This award is of great significance for Croatia and further confirms the correct direction of Hrvatski Telekom, a member of the DT Group, in leading the digital transformation process of the Croatian society. The quality of mobile network in Croatia is at the very top of Europe and the rest of the world, and continuous investments in modernization efficiently prepare infrastructure for the introduction of 5G functionality. Croatia is also at a remarkable level with regard to the development of a network that will enable the highest speeds for mobile service users, and it is the modernization of the network, a project worth over one billion kunas, that is the largest investment in creating a gigabit society in Croatia. The focus is on modernizing the radio network according to the SRAN concept - the technology that ensures the coexistence of 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G networks on the same equipment, multiplies the capacity of the 4G network and ensures the Internet of Things (IoT) functionality. The new equipment ensures better network coverage and consumes less energy. The current result is a fully modernized network throughout Istria, the Zagreb County and the City of Zagreb, and by the end of the current year, the goal is to fully prepare the other parts of Croatia as well for the implementation of 5G technology.
Various and frequent projects and demonstrations constantly raise awareness of the Croatian society about opportunities that will open with the introduction of the 5G network and create an environment fit for the digitalization of the society. The recent recognition in the form of an international certificate P3 - BEST in Test is an additional confirmation that quality conditions are being created for this type of technological revolution in Croatia. The introduction of the 5G network will enable the entire society to be transformed in a way that will open up a spectrum of additional opportunities for using mobile technologies that will change people's lives for the better and improve the economy.