New Zagreb Covered by 5G Signal

– During the coronavirus crisis, it became clear for the first time how important telecommunications are for the functioning of society, the state, and the economy. Data traffic has drastically increased in all segments, but traffic has also increased in fixed networks, and the vast majority of businesses are not returning to the old way of doing business. In many companies, some people come to work, while others work from home, and this business model has proven to be good for productivity and employee satisfaction, therefore the quality of the network is very important – emphasized Boris Drilo, a member of the management board responsible for technology and the chief director for technology and information technology of Hrvatski Telekom (HT) at a press conference on Tuesday. Drilo also informed journalists that HT’s network, according to user ratings, has received two Ookla awards for the second consecutive year. One for the fastest mobile network in Croatia, and the other for the best mobile coverage.

New Zagreb is covered by a 5G signal, and despite the coronavirus crisis, HT has not reduced investments, which this year amounted to around 1 billion and 600 million kuna, the same total the company invested last year. They proudly announced to journalists that only this year, despite the coronavirus crisis, 80 thousand households have switched to optical infrastructure, which is 60 percent more than last year.

– In the last two years, around 2 billion kuna has been invested in modernizing the mobile network, and thanks to these investments, we have a network and base ready for the introduction of 5G technology. This year, we managed to apply technology compatible with the fifth generation of mobile phones in the 4G frequency range. For true 5G, we are waiting for a new frequency band to be allocated during 2021. Specifically, in collaboration with Ericsson Nikola Tesla, we implemented 5G in the 4G frequency band, first in the area of Samobor, and then we expanded it to the entire area of New Zagreb. However, at this moment, not much should be expected from this as speeds have not increased, but for the first time, the 5G radio protocol has been applied – said Drilo.

HT implemented the first 5G test base station in Croatia back in March 2019, and to date, 20 pilot base stations have been implemented in the areas of Samobor, Zagreb, the island of Krk, and Osijek. Intensive work is being done on testing the functionality and performance of 5G technology and preparing for commercial operation when the necessary radio frequency spectrum is allocated. In other words, it is still not possible to request the activation of 5G, as HAKOM needs to adopt regulations that will allow existing frequencies to be used for the 5G network.

In response to a journalist’s question about whether users should be concerned about the introduction of the 5G network and the numerous controversies surrounding it in public, Drilo replied that there is no evidence that 5G is harmful to human health, and that the time has come for this technology to be safely implemented.

– There is no danger from 5G, but precautionary measures must be respected – concluded Drilo, adding that network development is intensifying through further investments in 5G technology and optical infrastructure.

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