Swan tests LTE network in Trnava
The fourth Slovak mobile operator Swan has launched a non-public trial of its LTE network, reports Telecompaper quoting Mobilmania.sk. The first city for the test is Trnava. Two additional cities will join the test soon. It is not clear yet who will supply the technology for Swan. The operator is now testing equipment from several manufacturers and will subsequently choose a supplier. Slovak Telekom, which is already building its LTE network, is cooperating with Ericsson and Orange Slovakia with Alcatel-Lucent. Telefonica Slovakia has not disclosed its supplier yet.
By summer, the operator plans to cover 20 percent of the population. The license conditions for coverage obligations in the 1, 800 MHz band, in which Swan has won frequencies, state that 25 percent of the population should be covered by December31, 2015 and 50 percent by December 31, 2018. Negotiations on national roaming are ongoing, so there is no need for the regulator to intervene yet.