Bankinter | Telefónica (TEF) has beaten MasOrange and Vodafone in the government’s rural 5G plan called UNICO Redes Activas. It gets €298 million in subsidies to deploy 5G networks at 4,123 sites until February 2026.
MasOrange gets €143 million for 1,948 sites and Vodafone €66 million for 1,200 sites. The project will benefit more than 1.8 million inhabitants who will have access to 5G coverage. Grants for the programme come from European Next Generation funds.
Assessment: Telefónica obtains 58.6% of the funds awarded to deploy equipment and infrastructure to develop this technology in municipalities with <10,000 inhabitants in rural areas. With this, Telefónica strengthens its leadership in 5G in Spain and the planned investments will be moderate and the speed offered to citizens will be higher, as the three operators have agreed to share 700 MHz frequencies in the towns that each has been awarded. Positive news, but with little impact on value.
