In a significant development in Slovakia’s telecommunications sector, two major mobile operators, O2 Slovakia and Slovak Telekom, have announced the finalisation of a highly anticipated network sharing agreement. This collaborative move is aimed at enhancing service quality for the customers and lowering the costs associated with the expansion of 5G networks across the nation.
It should be noted, however, that the largest city, Bratislava, and the second-largest, Košice, are specifically excluded from this agreement. Both O2 Slovakia and Slovak Telekom will uphold their individual networks within these urban regions.
In their joint statement, the operators emphasised the multi-fold advantages of this network sharing deal, which include “faster deployment of innovations, better signal quality, cost savings, and environmental benefits”. The collaboration is also expected to increase the overall number of base stations, improve network capacity and enhance coverage – all of which would lead to upgraded customer experience with operator networks.
The implementation of network sharing will gradually roll out in the months to come and is forecasted to be completed in a span of two to three years. O2 CEO, Igor Tóth, asserted that the agreement won’t impact the market competition, as both the operators will continue their rivalry in the mobile services domain.
“As one of the leaders in Slovakia’s high-speed connectivity, we will develop mobile networks even faster than before and usher new technologies into areas that would have taken longer otherwise”, noted Igor Tóth. He underscored that the agreement will not affect the competition between the two companies, and they will continue to vie for customer favour with their unique product portfolio and quality of customer care.
It is hoped that network sharing agreements such as this will continue to shape the international telecommunications sector for the betterment of operators and customers alike. At the same time, we dwell on questions like the ramifications the deal will have on the market competition and the quality of services provided to the consumers. Only time will tell if such collaborations will prove to be mutually beneficial for stakeholders in the industry.
