Users in Telekom Slovenije's mobile network increase their data transfer by approximately 33 percent every year, which is why the company carefully and comprehensively modernizes and upgrades its network with the latest technologies, thereby laying the foundations for further development. In 2023, Telekom Slovenije invested more than 22 million euros in the development of the mobile network, and this year the investments will more than double.
In this way, it strengthens its competitive advantage and creates technological support for the continued provision of safe, reliable and modern telecommunications services, consistent with the latest trends and user expectations. At the same time as modernization, it also increases coverage and strengthens capacities with the aim of providing the best user experience.
The 5G network is already used by almost a third of Telekom Slovenije's users, and the number is constantly increasing in relation to the number of mobile phones that support 5G technology. Telekom Slovenije manages the largest mobile network in Slovenia.
As the first operator in Slovenia, already in 2020 and 2021, Telekom Slovenije upgraded more than 300 base stations with 5G technology and achieved 33% coverage of the population. With accelerated modernization in 2023 and 2024, almost 1,000 out of a total of over 1,500 base stations will be upgraded; In a year and a half, Telekom Slovenije increased the capacity of the entire mobile network by more than 30 percent, and the 5G network by three times. It covers 98 percent of the population with 4G technology and is still improving it. Currently, it already provides 65% coverage of the population with 5G, in the next year it will provide 99% coverage.
"We are constantly expanding, upgrading and updating our network with the latest technologies, optimizing the use of the frequency spectrum and electricity consumption. In the last period, we carried out the restructuring and upgrade of the core network, the upgrade and optimization of the access network, and the upgrade of back-end devices, while additionally upgrading the connections to the base stations. Our network is prepared at all levels for the further introduction of the most modern 5G technologies. In this way, among other things, we provide users with an even safer, more reliable and faster mobile internet with low delays," emphasizes Vesna Prodnik , member of the Telekom Slovenije board for technology.
Due to the exceptional capacity of the mobile network, Telekom Slovenije also provides users with fixed services (internet, television and fixed telephony) via 4G and 5G technologies.
"Our users rely on our high-performance and reliable network, which is renowned for good coverage and a superior user experience. Data transfer is increasing every year, so additional modernization was necessary. With the help of state-of-the-art technology, we respond in real time to network loads, available capacities and users' needs for high data transfer speeds in both directions - from and to users. The modernization and expansion of the 5G network has been going on intensively since last year, when we completed the first phase of modernization. We are now in the second phase, which is the largest in Telekom Slovenije's history, during which we are intensively upgrading the core, transport and radio access network; 5G is also available in places with less than 1,000 inhabitants, tourist areas and at highway intersections. This is how we increase 5G coverage, which is the result of the work of more than 200 experts who take care of the top quality of our network every day. In the final phase, we will perfect the coverage in terms of signal quality, data transfer speeds will be even higher. We will also completely overhaul the core network. In this way, we are laying a solid foundation for the further development of the 5G network, which will continue to cope with the growing needs for mobile data transfer and other advanced services in the future," says Matjaž Beričič , Director of Networks and Infrastructure at Telekom Slovenije.
When planning and upgrading the Telekom Slovenije network, special attention is paid to energy efficiency and care for the environment. Thus, in ten years, mobile data traffic in the mobile network has increased by as much as 40 times, and the consumption of electricity by 10 percent.
Users rate Telekom Slovenije's network as the best and fastest in Slovenia (source: Valicon, Monitoring the power and image of brands, winter 2023), and at the same time, Telekom Slovenije users are also the most satisfied users of telecommunications services on the Slovenian market, which also applies to the use of mobile phones than fixed services (source: Valicon, User satisfaction of telecommunications services, spring 2024).