MWC23: Orange Launches First 5G SA Commercial Service in Spain

Orange Spain has launched the first commercial 5G Standalone (SA) network in Spain, which is also the first for the Orange Group. Powered by Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core, the network will go live in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and Sevilla, with more cities to be added over the year. The connectivity in Madrid and Barcelona is also delivered through Ericsson RAN solutions.

Orange Spain anticipates its customers will see notable benefits from the technology’s introduction like better indoor 5G coverage, more efficient device energy usage, and advanced security features. On top of these improved capabilities, Orange will also benefit from the latest developments in cloud technology as Ericsson 5G Core is built cloud-native and running on containers, which provides better modularity, dynamicity, and automation capabilities.

The live 5G SA network launch comes as a continuation of the longstanding partnership between the two companies. Throughout the deployment, Ericsson has supported Orange with technical and project coordination. 5G SA contributes significantly to Orange's sustainability objectives, with the technology estimated to increase the energy efficiency of transmitting 1 Gigabyte of information up to 20 times by 2030. The commercial launch of the network is a significant step for Orange, which has been driving a significant number of 5G SA pilot experiences to explore the technology's possibilities in various sectors.