Network

The largest network infrastructure in Poland

As the former incumbent operator, we have the largest network infrastructure in Poland, supporting both fixed and mobile services. It includes around 15,400 km of fibre in backbone, 92,700 km of fibre in aggregation network and more than 363,400 km of access copper network. The access network is predominantly built in copper technologies, fibre access network accounts for around 100,900 km (incl. Światłowód Inwestycje JV in which OPL has a 50% stake) at the moment, although it is growing rapidly in line with our intensive fibre investment plans.

Fibre is also increasingly used to connect our mobile base stations, on the one hand to boost our capacity to accommodate growing data consumption, and on the other hand to ensure greater reliability of the network. In 2021 additional 250 base stations were connected via fibre. At the end of the year, about 57% of our mobile base stations were connected to the backbone through fibre. Mobile and fixed networks share not only cable infrastructure but also higher network layers like core, control and service platforms. We will gradually transition our network to be fully IP-based in the years ahead, which will require the elimination of certain network elements (e.g. PSTN stacks).

* 2021 includes Światłowód Inwestycje JV in which OPL has a 50% stake

15.4 k km

of fibre in backbone

92.7 k km

of fibre in aggregation network

363,4 k km

of access copper network

To ensure the best connectivity and optimal resource allocation, we take the specifics of local markets into account. In cities, we are focusing on the development of Fibre to the Home (FTTH) coverage, whereas in less populous areas, copper-based technologies, supplemented by mobile ones, are the primary broadband access solution. We also roll out our fibre network in smaller towns and in suburban areas on a selective basis, within the framework of Operational Programme ’Digital Poland’ (POPC). We are increasingly expanding our fibre network into single-family housing districts, though apartment buildings are still the primary target for our investments. At the end of 2021, our fibre access network covered 5.9 million households in 211 cities.

Co-operation with third-party operators has also made a big contribution to the development of our fibre optic network. Thanks to this approach, whenever co-operation is possible, we avoid uneconomical duplication of fibre optic networks. If the extant network meets the standards guaranteed by Orange, we try to use such networks in the first place.

Orange Polska’s mobile network services are broadcast from nearly 12,000 base stations with over 99% of them offering 4G LTE broadband data covering almost 100% of the population and 98% of the country’s territory. In response to the growing demand for high-speed Internet access, Orange Polska is also steadily increasing the number of locations supported by LTE Carrier Aggregation technology (4G+), which multiplies available bandwidth.

5.9 million

households covered with our fibre access network

~12,000

mobile network services base stations

Network reliability and resilience requires the constant upgrade of self-healing network mechanisms and continuous quality monitoring. We are capable of monitoring service quality not only at the statistical level but also from the perspective of an individual customer. We are proactive in our approach and respond before parameters start to deteriorate, preventing network congestion, thus ensuring the same connectivity experience, whether customers use our mobile or fixed networks.

First campus networks lunched:

It is Orange Polska’s ambition to actively participate in the implementation of the 5G network in Poland in order to provide our customers with access to this network and modern services based on it. The ongoing roll-out of our fibre network is a precondition for the efficient operation of the future 5G mobile network. In December 2020, we signed an agreement with the Łódź Special Economic Zone for the development of an internal 5G network on the 3.6 GHz band. At the end of May, 5G LAB was launched in the Zone. It is Poland’s first 5G campus network for startups and a space for testing innovative projects using exactly the same 5G infrastructure which is to be deployed in Poland in the future. In addition, as a result of our co-operation with Miele, which has its factory in Ksawerów near the city of Łódź, we developed another 5G campus network on the 3.6 GHz band. With this network, Miele can deploy innovative digital solutions to automate production and quality control processes for manufactured products and conduct virtual reality-based training for employees on a wide scale. Furthermore, in mid-December we announced the launch of a 4G and 5G campus network at Nokia factory in Bydgoszcz. The network developed for Nokia is an R&D base for implementing production process optimisation projects for industry 4.0.

During the implementation of the aforementioned projects, Orange Polska collected unique experience on the Polish market, which we believe will pay off in subsequent implementations, especially that private 5G networks are undoubtedly one of the elements of the future of an effective industry.

5G services in the 2100 MHz band

Orange Polska maintains its position that only quick allocation of frequencies in the 3400–3800 MHz spectrum band will enable the launch of full-fledged 5G services of adequate parameters for customers in Poland. However, due to the auction annulment, the Company implemented and expanded Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) in the 2100 MHz band, which allows dynamic allocation of spectrum resources to 4G or 5G as required. As at the end of 2021, Orange Polska offered commercial 5G services via a network of 1,727 base stations.

Network security as our top priority

Throughout 2021, Orange Polska CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) observed unusually high activity among phishing campaigns. Main distribution channels of these campaigns were e-mail messages and SMS. Social media were also important sources of cybercrime campaigns. This significant increase in security incidents in the online cyberspace has led to growing customer interest in cybersecurity services. To detect phishing campaigns and collect malware samples, Orange Polska uses internal Threat Intelligence solutions based on Artificial Intelligence algorithms, as well as selfdeveloped ‘Honey Pot platforms (solutions simulating customers’ equipment/systems which are exposed to cybersecurity attacks) controlled by Orange Polska. These allow for the proactive collection of malware samples, and identification of new methods of cybersecurity attacks. The chart alove shows statistics on phishing and malware attacks blocked in the Orange Polska network. Each blockade represents one customer protected against phishing attack or malware.

Orange Polska CERT operates around the clock, taking care of all cybersecurity issues that impact users who access the Internet through the Orange Polska network. Customers are protected by CyberTarcza (CyberShield), launched in 2014 as a service to answer a specific market need for the detection of threats in the network and for securing users from malicious activity. Due to the benefit of seamless and automatic work performed in the background, the comfort of use is highly advantageous to the users. Orange Polska is still the unique ISP (Internet Service Provider) in Poland offering advanced cybersecurity services. Almost every day CyberShield informs various groups of customers about detected threats related to possible virus (malware) infections on their computers or mobile phones.

Network efficiency and architecture

To increase the efficiency of our infrastructure, legacy technologies and solutions which are mainly voice-oriented are being replaced with a converged network capable of handling all types of traffic: voice, data and video. We implement solutions that fully support IP technology, and, thanks to self-healing and dynamic reconfiguration mechanisms, provide for higher service quality while improving cost-effectiveness thanks to massive deployment of 100 Gb/s technology. In our efforts to provide customers with the best network in Poland, we leverage our own investments by using third-party infrastructure and benefiting from EU funds for network construction.

On the mobile side, we are continuously cooperating with T-Mobile and NetWorkS! (a company responsible for network construction and operation). With T-Mobile we share RAN infrastructure (nearly 12,000 shared sites), which enabled the fast introduction of 4G and optimisation of operating costs and capital expenditures.

Annual Report 2021

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