Orange Polska announced it is launching mobile services in 5G technology using the 3600 MHz frequency. As stated, this is the so-called C-band awarded to the operator by the Polish telecom market regulator UKE as a result of an auction. 5G technology on the new frequencies enables mobile internet speeds of up to more than 1 Gbps.

The release states that after receiving the first radio permits from UKE, Orange has just launched 5G services based on the new frequencies at the first base stations in the biggest Polish cities. The availability of this technology will be gradually extended to other locations. At the same time, Orange Polska will continue to offer and develop 5G services on the 2100 MHz frequency using Dynamic Spectrum Sharing technology.

It enables the sharing of radio bandwidth between 4G and 5G. Such services have already been on offer from Orange since 2020. Orange Polska reported on Friday that the development of the 5G network requires significant investment.

Between 2021 and 2023, Orange's expenditure on the construction of the 5G network and the costs of upgrading the radio access network reached a total of nearly PLN 700 million (EUR 159 million). The operator estimates that over the next three years, investments in these two projects will amount to approximately PLN 1.1 billion (EUR 249.9 million). In addition, the cost of the frequencies auctioned by Orange in the 5G auction is PLN 487 million (EUR 110.6 million).

UKE settled the auction of frequencies in the 3400-3800 MHz range in October 2023.