Telefonica, T-Mobile confirm LTE network agreement

Telefonica Czech Republic and T-Mobile Czech Republic signed a contract on sharing LTE networks. Both companies will continue using their own network infrastructure and keep entirely independent business strategies. Negotiations on sharing LTE networks were first announced in late February, with the aim of speeding up the roll-out to meet licence coverage conditions quicker. Sharing transmitters will also increase efficiency in the operation and maintenance of LTE networks and have a positive impact on the environment, the operators said. This also follows up their existing agreement to share 2G and 3G access networks. 

Both operators will conduct the initial tests within the next few weeks. After a necessary tune-up of processes in testing conditions, a commercial launch of services is expected in the second half of the year. The network sharing applies to the whole territory, except for Prague and Brno. O2 will be responsible for network management and operation in the Eastern part of the country and T-Mobile will operate in the Western part. Each operator will offer speeds of up to 75 Mbps download and 25 Mbps upload, with expected increases in future. O2 and T-Mobile will separately meet all the requirements from the conditions of the 4G auction, organised in 2013. The sharing will only concern the radio part of the networks of both operators and the networks' central elements will remain independent. O2 and T-Mobile will thus keep competing in terms of quality and service offer, as well as speed of the network.