We had been waiting for years. Now that 4G technology is already widespread throughout the world, this summer we can finally start to enjoy it in Spain. Yoigo has been the company that has dared to take the lead. High-speed mobile connections will arrive between July 18 and August 8.
Yoigo's LTE connection will provide users with mobile download speeds of up to 75 Mbps. The company clarifies that average speeds will range between 20 and 40 Mbps, much higher than that provided by current 3G technology. However, other parameters may be more important than speed, such as ping (latency period), which provides a higher quality user experience.
The arrival of LTE to Yoigo is accompanied by an agreement with Samsung. The Korean manufacturer will provide a good part of the terminals with this technology to the operator's users. Yoigo's commitment is that this summer 50% of the mobiles it sells will be able to connect to this network.
The company has also promised not to raise the rates that it currently applies to data connections. In fact, discharge capacity will be maximized in the future without the price rising. However, Eduardo Taulet, CEO of Yoigo, has made it clear that in no case will an unlimited flat rate 4G connection be offered, since it is "unfeasible".
But for now only some users will be able to enjoy it. This summer, only the Community of Madrid will have this service, on the dates already mentioned. However, the expansion plan will be relatively fast. In a second phase, Yoigo guarantees that the service will work before December of this year in the provinces of Barcelona, Zaragoza, Valencia, Alicante, Seville, Cádiz and Malaga, as well as in Murcia.
The third phase of expansion will end in the summer of next year, when LTE connectivity will reach Tarragona, Castellón, Palma de Mallorca, Granada, Tenerife and Las Palmas. A fourth phase, with a deadline in December 2014, will cover La Coruña, Pontevedra, Valladolid, Burgos, Cantabria and the Basque Country.
The provinces included in the first two implementation phases (which conclude in December of this year) represent 37% of the Spanish population, since they include the largest cities in the country. With the end of the fourth phase, in December 2014, 75% of the population will be able to access this connection. However, a large part of the territory does not yet have implementation plans, as can be seen on the map.
Yoigo is today the fourth mobile phone operator in Spain by number of customers. It has 3.72 million lines, 6% of which operate in Spain. The introduction of LTE will cost the company about 200 million euros, and they assure that it will create more than 200 direct jobs and 300 indirect ones.
