20.3.2019
- The focus will be on the first 5G areas: Samobor, Osijek and the island of Krk with the aim of activating the potential and further economic development of the local community
- Piloting the 5G network is done in real conditions using the production equipment of the modernized mobile network of Hrvatski Telekom
- Croatia keeps up with the most developed countries in the implementation of the 5G network, and the new technology brings new possibilities for developing artificial intelligence, internet and broadband internet access
Boris Drilo, Management Board member and Chief Technology and Information Officer at HT
The demonstration of the 5G network held today in Samobor has been fully realized in the real production environment using commercial radio and core 5G equipment and functionalities.
Apart from Samobor, 5G technology will be piloted in other areas of economic and social importance such as Osijek and the island of Krk.
HT will continue to implement 5G network in Croatia with the dynamics at which 5G technology will develop and will enable the future 5G regulatory framework.
“At Hrvatski Telekom we are very proud of the development and quality of our mobile network. By implementing 5G technology in real conditions we open the door to the 4th industrial revolution and gigabit society in Croatia. We believe that we can so activate the potential of all parts of Croatia, stimulate positive economic trends, and open up a range of new opportunities and ensure better living conditions for citizens throughout Croatia,” said Boris Drilo, Management Board member and Chief Technology and Information Officer at HT.
5G network users and local self-government in the first three communities in Croatia who have been given the chance to be covered by the 5G network will have the opportunity to experience the advanced features that the gigabit society can provide.
The new technology will provide Samobor and its surroundings an additional boost to the development of the industrial, craft and tourism potential of that area, and the diversity of the local economy makes this area ideal for further development of the diverse 5G business cases that can be implemented later on throughout the country as well as globally. Osijek and Krk, as the centers away from the most developed Zagreb ring, 5G technology opens up completely new development perspectives. In Osijek, the potential for the ever-stronger startup community can be raised to a whole new level and strongly boost the local economy, and Krk as one of the islands implementing a whole range of advanced digital solutions can become the first smart island in Croatia.
HT implements the 5G technology using a successfully modernized mobile network it has invested in over a billion kunas last and this year.
Compared to the existing 4G technology, 5G brings significant progress. The main features of the 5G technology are high speed per user (over 1Gbps), extremely fast network responses of just a few milliseconds, and a large capacity in terms of number of users and simultaneously connected devices. The new technology brings new opportunities in developing artificial intelligence, internet of things and broadband internet access, and opens up wide applications in industry, agriculture, education and healthcare. Parallel to the testing of the 5G network, various 5G devices are being developed, and they will first be available in the second half of 2019.
The mobile network of Hrvatski Telekom has been awarded the big international P3 - Best in Test recognition for the second consecutive year, which has ranked HT's mobile network as the best in Croatia and among the best mobile networks in the world. As the leader in testing and deploying 5G technologies in Croatia, Hrvatski Telekom will enable its users to be among the first in Europe to use all the new opportunities the new technology brings.
Hrvatski Telekom is the largest private investor in Croatia. Over the last five years, we have invested more than seven billion kunas in developing a new generation network. In the preparation of infrastructure for the introduction of 5G technology alone, we invest more than a billion kunas through 2018 and 2019. Thanks to investments, HT will provide all users with internet access speeds of at least 20Mbit/s, up to 1GBits/s, by the end of the year. In this way, we create the prerequisites for the development of a digital society - a fast, reliable and secure internet service in all parts of Croatia, in order to enable users to enjoy a better life and everything that technology provides.