19.2.2020
- HT network modernization project is the largest private infrastructure investment in Croatia in 2019, contributing to faster digitalization of Croatia and higher economic growth
- All HT mobile users enjoy even better 4G signal coverage and higher speeds, both in big cities and in rural areas
- The foundations have been set for the new 5G technology, which will be the platform for the new industrial revolution
With the introduction of state-of-the-art equipment in Croatia, complete modernization of Hrvatski Telekom's mobile network, which is ready for 5G technology and advanced services of the future has been completed. This is Croatia's largest private infrastructure investment in 2019, as part of which HT invested more than HRK 1 billion in the renovation of all transmitters of its network, which now all support 4G/LTE technology. Indoor coverage has increased from 76 to 89 percent, and customer speeds have increased by 75 percent compared to 2017, which has improved and matched the quality of mobile services for all users in Croatia. Regardless of whether they live in the towns or in the rural areas of Lijepa naša, users' mobile devices will have a visible 4G label on their mobile phones, which guarantees all mobile services without breaking, freezing, or pausing.
Increasing the speed, from an average of 40 to 70 megabits per second, means that users will enjoy seamless playback of YouTube content, in a resolution supported by their mobile phone (SD or HD quality). With an adequate smartphone, all users will have access to HD voice, and if a user has a newer generation model, they will have better audio quality and a much shorter call set-up time to other HT mobile users. Available data transfer rates up to 1Gbps have been increased. The modernization also provided additional network capacities for city and town centers, tourist destinations, stadiums, fairs, and shopping centers, that is places where there is a high concentration of HT users.
“Hrvatski Telekom’s fast and stable mobile network is the basis for new technologies that connect people and make life simpler, smarter, and better. Our investments in the wider availability of high speeds enable the introduction of new smart solutions in homes and businesses and will contribute to strengthening the competitiveness of the Croatian economy in the world. Namely, over the next five years, the digitalization of our economy needs to be improved tenfold to reach the EU economies, i.e., GDP growth of 5 percent,” said Boris Drilo, Member of the Management Board and Chief Technology Officer of Hrvatski Telekom.
The state-of-the-art mobile network using Narrowband IoT network technologies also functions as a smart platform that allows various other entities to improve the quality of their services through networking. Designed for devices that do not need continuous online connectivity and send small amounts of data traffic, NBIoT is an ideal ally in solutions for business and residential users such as smart parking systems, waste management, tracking items and shipments, smart home, and the like. In cooperation with partners, a smart parking solution was implemented in the entire city of Dubrovnik, with 1900 sensors installed to facilitate finding free parking space and reduce traffic jams, which is the largest smart parking project in Croatia and the region, and one of the largest in the world by the number of sensors.
With the state-of-the-art mobile network, available country-wide, HT is the only operator with national fixed network availability. In areas where fiber-optic networks are not yet available, users get increased speeds thanks to innovative technology that combines fixed and mobile technologies to enhance fixed services in their homes. More than 100,000 hybrid users have been introduced thanks to the simultaneous use of copper pair (xDSL) and mobile network (LTE), providing speeds of over 30 megabits per second. In this way, internet service users have access to 50 percent higher rates and can enjoy the best television content provided by Hrvatski Telekom's IPTV service.
The modernization of the network has created the preconditions for accelerated introduction of 5G technology in the whole of Croatia, which will be the basis of a new industrial revolution, but also of economic growth. Networked cars, drones, home appliances, autonomous cars, and the provision of demanding long-distance medical services will make life better, simpler, smarter, and more fun.