Q: Why it is necessary for you to renew your radio access network?
Orange Polska has always positioned itself as the numberone network in Poland. Not only because we have the biggest infrastructure in Poland but because we prioritise the high quality of the network. Technologies evolve and customer needs change, so in order to maintain this high quality that our customers are used to, we have to invest.
This year we are starting a major modernisation of our radio access network that will not only comprehensively prepare us for 5G but also for the gradual phase-out of older technologies in the future. The project is designed to take place over the next few years. Its timing will be synchronised with rollout of 5G network on the C-band spectrum that we hope will be distributed very soon.
I will just mention a few of the most important initiatives within this project. Some hardware equipment that we are using in our RAN was installed over a decade ago when we were implementing co-sharing of the network with T-Mobile. This needs replacement as vendors’ support for this equipment is coming to an end. The 2100 MHz spectrum will be able to serve 5G in DSS mode (dynamic spectrum sharing). We will also significantly increase LTE capacity of 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz spectrum on existing sites to better cope with the data explosion and to minimise the need to build new sites in the future. All new equipment installed will be much more energy effective, which will contribute to meeting our environmental goals.
