After the result of the 5G auction that took place last week, millions of Spaniards are anxiously awaiting the development of the technology that should place Spain among the countries with the most advanced generation of networks. This project is only scheduled for July 2022, but a good portion of Spaniards still do not await this news with great anticipation. The reality is that, according to Anatel, more than 20 million Spaniards still need settle for old-fashioned 3G.
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Anatel says that 20 million Spaniards do not have 4G
The National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) carried out a survey in December 2020 and identified that 10% of the entire Spanish population still connects to the internet over 3G. all in all, about 33 million devices access the third generation network, with about 20,6 million cell phones, and the rest of common services such as payment machines.
In general, there are 220 Spanish municipalities without access to 4G, in addition to neighborhoods and other more remote areas. Of course, even in regions that support more advanced networks, there are users who choose to continue with their 3G chip, perhaps because of the high prices charged for smartphones compatible with the latest technologies.
In a report to UOL Tilt, Eduardo Jacomassi, Anatel's universalization manager, explained the contrast between the advancement of 4G in Spain when compared to the implementation in more remote areas.
"4G in Spain has advanced rapidly. You can see that, as of 2015, the amount of 3G access drops a lot. What has been slow is the implementation in rural areas. The problem is that either the municipalities are too small or too far away, which makes the installation more expensive. As a regulatory agency, we have to make it reach everyone."
What will 5G change in Spain?
In addition to placing Spain among the countries with the most advanced technology, the tender approved for the 5G tender also provides that 4G bands are expanded for all Spanish municipalities by 2024.
However, there are still many obstacles to this being finally concluded, and a good part of them is linked to the politics of each of these places. According to Marcos Ferrari, president of Conexis Spain Digital, some municipal rules delay the national diffusion of 4G.
"There are many municipalities with a very bad policy for telecommunications infrastructure," he said. "The laws that allow the installations are municipal and 90% of them are difficult because the technology changes very fast and the rules are slow to change. We have laws that are 25 years behind."
Source: Digital Look. With information from Uol Tilt.
