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PPF Group’s Czech telco CETIN has announced that it is halfway through the construction of its 5G network after completing central Moravia. The company stated that it is replacing old Huawei and Nokia technologies with Ericsson equipment and has already completed approximately 2,600 locations out of a total of 4,200.

The upgrade in central Moravia included the installation of 814 new base stations. CETIN’s director of network development, Vladimír Filip, referred to this as the largest technological modernisation of mobile networks in the history of the Czech Republic. Over 200 technicians have been involved, delivering more than 350 tons of material and equipment to the transmitters.

Customers of operators O2 and T-Mobile can now connect to 5G in various districts, including Olomouc, Přerov, Prostějov, Kroměříž, Zlín, Uherské Hradiště, Vyškov, Vsetín, Hodonín, Blansko, and Nový Jičín.

CETIN’s spokesperson, Adam Zbiejczuk, highlighted that the company is not only upgrading to 5G but also replacing 2G and 4G components. This comprehensive modernisation has made the process more expensive and logistically demanding compared to their competition. However, it ensures that customers have access to a high-quality, fast, and reliable mobile network.

CETIN plans to modernize over 1,000 additional transmitters in Moravia by the end of the first quarter of next year. The company aims to minimize network outages during the technology swaps.

In a separate development, UAE telco group e& recently acquired a stake in PPF Telecom Group’s assets in Bulgaria, Hungary, Serbia, and Slovakia. However, their Czech assets, including O2 Czech Republic and CETIN, were not part of this particular deal.

During the tower swap-outs, CETIN keeps neighboring towers operational to maintain partial continuous coverage. The replacement of each tower requires 3-4 engineers and takes around 70 hours. Each site, from identification to being ready for service, takes approximately six months. The new equipment offers support for more frequency bands and capacity with a smaller footprint.

CETIN aims to become the preferred wholesaler for 5G and fiber services. Currently, the company operates 65,000km of optical cables and has 6,400 base stations for O2 and T-Mobile. They also provide fixed access network services to millions of Czech households through their fiber-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) and fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) networks.

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