In November 2019 it was announced that Orange Romania was the first operator within the Orange Group’s footprint to commercially launch 5G. Now the 5G network in Bucharest has been expanded to cover the entire city.
The 5G network in Romania initially launched in November in three of the country’s main cities – Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca and Iasi. The operator’s 5G network has since reached Timisoara, Brasov, Constanta and Mamaia.
Today the entire population of Bucharest can access download speeds of up to 1.2Gbps, assuming they have the right devices and contract. However, this may not be as expensive as it sounds. It seems unlimited 5G data now comes as low in price as 15 euros a month for a 24-month contract, with what is known as the Smart 15 plan.
But it’s not all plain sailing for 5G rollout in other parts of the world. According to TeleGeography's CommsUpdate, Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has admitted that the return of parts of the 700MHz spectrum to the authority by digital terrestrial TV (DTT) providers will mean some disruption for TV viewers starting in September in a number of regions. The 700MHz range is scheduled to be used for telecommunications purposes from 15 January 2021.
