Telefónica announced it has switched on its 5G network in Spain. Their network, the company said, will enable 75% of the Spanish population to obtain access to this new technology by the end of the year.

“The launch of our 5G network constitutes a leap forward towards the hyperconnectivity that will change the future of Spain,” said José María Álvarez-Pallete, Telefónica’s Executive Chairman. The switching on 5G network comes after Álvarez-Pallete confirmed Telefónica’s commitment to promote the complete digitisation of the country last July. “It’s 5G for everyone, without any exceptions. In all the autonomous communities. Telefónica will accelerate the digitisation of SMEs, the public administrations and the general public with this initiative. “Like fibre and like so many other great things, 5G is Telefónica”, explained the company’s chief executive.

“Our network has always been a differential asset. People’s lives pass through it and it has demonstrated unparalleled strength when it’s been most needed”, added Álvarez-Pallete, who pointed out that Spain already leads Europe’s digital infrastructures with the largest fibre optic network. “Spain will reap great benefits. 5G constitutes not only a new generation of mobile telephony, it’s also a revolution in terms of its practical applications for all the sectors and because it allows the extension of ultra-broadband coverage to rural areas, many of them depopulated”, stressed Álvarez-Pallete and concluded that this is a golden opportunity for Spain to lead the Fourth Industrial Revolution and to capitalise on Europe’s outstretched hand in the reconstruction process.