Spain’s Correos to be a MVNO & offer cloud + fiber services
According to reports from Spain news sites La Información and Expansión, the group’s Correos telecom division is preparing to launch a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) and also intends to offer fiber services and a local cloud storage offering.
Correos, chaired by Juan Manuel Serrano, has been developing scenarios for three years to take advantage of its extensive network of offices to diversify the business. It has already closed agreements with banking, energy and telco entities.
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The Correos Telecom website certainly indicates that something important will happen. The reports say the new services could be launched as soon as this week.
The new mobile phone service and high-speed fiber connection will be announced this week and made available to the Group’s employees imminently, thus complying with the first phase of implementation of this new strategy championed by Correos Telecom.
Speculation about a potential Correos MVNO has been around since at least December 2020, when El Pais said the Spanish postal service intended to follow in the footsteps of its French and Italian counterparts by launching its own mobile and Internet services.
Few other details are available as yet, although the reports suggest that fixed and mobile services will initially be targeted at the post office’s own workers and eventually rolled out to anyone who wants them.
La Información said Correos Telecom will offer the group’s 53,000 employees a wide range of mobile phone options as well as two packages of fixed and mobile services, with TV to be added at a later stage.
It’s not clear which mobile network would host any Correos MVNO. A likely contender could be Spain’s fourth-largest operator Másmóvil, the aggressively expansionist group that recently launched a takeover bid for Basque operator Euskaltel.
Másmóvil is already playing host for Sweno, the new MVNO that is due to be launched in collaboration with El Corte Inglés any time soon. Unveiled in March, the Sweno MVNO is expected to offer mobile and fiber services on a converged basis, although there seems to have been some delay in getting the joint products off the ground.
Sweno is an existing El Corte Inglés brand that is being re-purposed for the telecoms offering.
Másmóvil will add to an already brimming pot of marques. As well as Másmóvil itself, the group provides services under the Yoigo, Pepephone, HitsMobile, Lebara, Lycamobile and Llamaya brands.
Másmóvil has become an increasingly a potential competitor of Orange Spain, Telefónica (Movistar) and Vodafone Spain. If the Euskaltel deal goes through, Másmóvil will gain a larger slice of the market. Traditionally a regional player, Euskaltel branched out nationally last year under the Virgin brand.
Spain has been a highly competitive market for years, driven by an early and aggressive move by Telefónica into converged offerings of fixed, mobile and TV services.
All four operators now provide services under their own low-cost brands, such as Telefónica’s Tuenti and O2 Spain; Vodafone’s Lowi; and Orange’s Amena and Simyo.
It certainly remains to be seen how new low-cost offerings from the likes of Correos and El Corte Inglés will be positioned, although the suggestion that Correos will initially target its own workforce would certainly provide it with a ready-made audience.
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References:
https://www.expansion.com/empresas/distribucion/2021/07/23/60f9db08468aeb73428b4612.html
2 thoughts on “Spain’s Correos to be a MVNO & offer cloud + fiber services”
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I wonder if there is a market for so many MVNOs in Spain? Well, I guess if they keep launching them, there must be ..
Ericsson and Vodafone deploy 5G Core Standalone for precommercial operation in Spain
The 5G Core Standalone solution will enable Vodafone to unlock the full potential of 5G, and represents a critical milestone to deliver 5G Standalone connectivity services in Spain.
Vodafone Spain has selected Ericsson as their technology partner to deploy the first precommercial network 5G Core Standalone (SA) in Spain and will support their entire cloud-native 5G Core for standalone 5G network applications included in this launch. Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core will allow Vodafone to develop and test new use cases leveraging the characteristics of 5G standalone technology, enabling their customers to experience 5G’s full potential.
The simplified SA architecture in RAN and the devices, together with streamlined operations and combined with the new network capabilities from 5G, will bring drastic improvements to mobile networks, including ultra-low latency, improved 5G capacity and greater coverage. The provided dual-mode 5G Core solution which includes products from Ericsson’s Cloud Packet Core and Cloud Unified Data Management and Policy portfolios, offers a common multi-access and cloud-native platform that supports 5G and as well as previous generations for optimized footprint and TCO efficiency.
The solution provides full integration and interoperability with current Vodafone’s network. It also provides interworking with Vodafone’s existing Evolved Packet Core (EPC), Vodafone CDR Repository and Ericsson User Data Consolidation solution, with the aim to provide 4G/5G services interoperability for seamless experience to Vodafone Spain users.
Luisa Muñoz, head of Digital Services, Ericsson Iberia, says: “After many years of outstanding collaboration between the two companies in the different Core technologies now we have moved forward with the introduction of 5G Core and we’re continuing to support Vodafone on their digital journey. With 5G Core SA, we’re taking 5G to the next level in Spain. 5G Core is a fundamental piece of the 5G network and I’m looking forward to seeing the multitude of opportunities this will open up for mobile users and industries.”
Julia Velasco, Network Director, Vodafone Spain, says: “This pilot is a critical step towards delivering the full potential of 5G service, as well as being crucial in enabling new and innovative use cases. Thanks to our long-standing and close partnership with Ericsson and the 5G Core SA solution, we can support applications requiring the fastest connectivity, highest data rates and lowest latency demand.”
https://www.ericsson.com/en/news/3/2021/ericsson-and-vodafone-deploy-5g-core-standalone-for-precommercial-operation-in-spain