Slovak mobile operator Swan Mobile, operating under the brand name 4ka, has conducted the first public 5G video call in the country. The operator demonstrated the video call for journalilsts in the city of Banska Bystrica in the Central Slovakia. During the demo the speed reached 1 Gbps.
All Slovenian MNOs exceed network coverage obligations imposed after the spectrum auction
Slovenian regulator AKOS has found that all three mobile network operators (MNOs) in the country exceed the coverage obligations which were imposed by the regulator’s decisions following an auction for allocation of radio frequencies. AKOS annually monitors the compliance of operators with those obligations. AKOS has also published a detailed compliance report for the coverage in the 900 MHz band and over 1 GHz.
Irish regulator ComReg lacks net neutrality enforcement powers
Irish regulator ComReg is not satisfied with the situation in the market as regards open internet access, but it lacks enforcement powers to intervene, follows from its report on net neutrality for the period from 1 May 2018 to 30 April 2019. Ireland is the only EU member country, whose national regulatory authority (NRA) lacks power to start formal investigations and to issue enforcement orders, as also the European Commission confirmed in its Study on the implementation of the open internet provisions of the Telecoms Single Market Regulation published on 30 April 2019.
Slovak regulator confirms schedule for 5G auction in 700 MHz
Slovak regulatory authority RU has informed that the preparatory works for the 5G auction in the 700 MHz band proceed in line with the schedule to meet the deadline set by the EU decision for the release of the spectrum. The 694-790 MHz band has been used for the digital terrestrial TV (DVB-T) so far. As agreed in the EU, the band shall become available for 5G mobile broadband by 30 June 2020.
Slovak Telekom extends 4G+ coverage
Slovak Telekom has brought ist 4G+ network with theoretical speed up to 200 Mbps to 17 new locations. It provides 4G+ through carrier aggregation of the bands 800 and 1800 MHz.
Czech regulator consults on 5G auction conditions
Czech regulator CTU has published draft conditions of the prepared auction for frequencies in the bands 700 MHz and 3.5 GHz. Based on the proposal, operators shall compete for a total of 60 MHz in the 700 MHz band and 200 MHz in the 3.5 GHz band. CTU has selected SMRA (Simultaneous Multi-Round Auction) as the auction format. The minimum proceeds are expected at CZK 6.3 billion.
UKE publishes monitoring report on implementation of EU open internet regulation in Poland
Polish regulator UKE has published a report on the implementation of the EU open internet regulation, monitoring the quality of internet access service (IAS) provided by internet service providers (ISPs) in Poland in the period from 1 May 2018 to 30 April 2019. UKE concludes that Polish ISPs comply with the open internet regulation. The data also confirm the continuing trend of increasing internet speeds.
T-Mobile US launches 5G in six cities
T-Mobile US announced launch of 5G network in parts of six urban areas: Atlanta, Cleveland, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York on 28 June. Customers can check the network coverage on the operator’s coverage map.
Inhabitants of rural areas in Texas complain about inaccurate broadband coverage mapping
The US government is willing to help its citizens inhabiting rural areas with access to broadband internet. To be able to direct the resources specifically to the uncovered locations, the administration needs accurate information about the existing coverage. However, the inhabitants lacking broadband access complain about the inaccuracy of the data provided in fill-in forms by operators, resulting in a significant variation between the reality and theoretical coverage maps, reported Texas Public Radio. A crowdsourcing internet measurement tool could help citizens living in rural areas to get their broadband internet connections and the government to guarantee that the resources are spent efficiently.
BEREC to update net neutrality guidelines
The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) evaluates the implementation of the Open Internet Regulation adopted in the EU in 2015, as well as the BEREC Net Neutrality Guidelines issued in 2016. BEREC concludes that the application of both the regulation and the guidelines are working well.