A1 and beCloud launch the 4G network all over Belarus

A1, a telecom, ICT and content service provider, and the beCloud infrastructure operator announced a strategic partnership to develop 4G mobile communication in Belarus. The fourth-generation communication for A1 subscribers will be available in 97 % of the country by 2023, where over 99 % of the population lives.

The construction of the 4G network under the LTE and LTE Advanced technology in Belarus is carried out by the beCloud infrastructure operator, with which mobile operators enter into agreements on the use of required resources. Starting from March 2019, access to the 4G network is provided to A1 subscribers. The project, which will be implemented as part of the strategic partnership agreement between A1 and beCloud, will allow for launching the 4G network available both in large cities and in remote corners of the country.

"The guarantee of the high quality of services provided to our subscribers, including access to 4G communication, always remains a priority of A1. And we are consolidating efforts together with our partners with the express purpose of ensuring the 4G network coverage comparable with the existing A1 3G network in terms of coverage of the territory of the country. We are pleased that the fourth-generation communication will become available to subscribers everywhere in the coming years, including large and small cities and even rural areas", says Helmut Duhs, A1 General Director.

The full implementation of the joint project of A1 and beCloud on the development of 4G mobile communication will take three years. The first planned stage will be completed by the end of 2019. It provides for the simultaneous inclusion of more than 2000 base stations operating in a radio frequency range of 1,800 MHz, which will make 4G communication available for A1 subscribers within the existing beСloud LTE network. Currently, it covers all regional centers of Belarus including most large cities, such as Baranovichi, Bobruisk, Borisov, Volkovysk, Dobrush, Zhlobin, Lida, Mozyr, Molodechno, Orsha, Pinsk, Polotsk, Rechitsa, Rogachev, Soligorsk and others. Thus, 4G communication will be available for A1 subscribers in the territory where about 76 % of the country population lives. The first cities where the 4G technology will become available for A1 subscribers as part of the partnership program will be Gomel, Zhlobin and Bobruisk.

The second stage of the project starts in January 2020. It provides for launching the 4G beCloud network in rural areas in a radio frequency range of 800 MHz and on the basis of the A1 infrastructure. To ensure the best user experience for its subscribers, A1 will provide the beCloud operator with its infrastructure for base stations, as well as a transport network based on hybrid, radio-relay and fiber optic communication lines. This interaction scheme was successfully tested by partners as part of the works to relaunch the 4G network for A1 subscribers in Pinsk in November 2019. Thus, the 4G network coverage area for A1 subscribers will be equal to the currently existing 3G coverage area of the company, providing coverage of more than 97 % of the territory of Belarus.

The works under the second stage of the joint project of A1 and beCloud will be carried out gradually. The first regions in which partners will begin to launch the 4G network on the basis of the A1 infrastructure will be Gomel, Mogilev and Vitebsk regions. It is planned to connect more than 300 base stations in the Gomel region alone. The total number of base stations launched within three years will exceed 3,000.

"Due to the cooperation of our companies, the LTE network in Belarus continues to develop and expand. We as an infrastructure operator are making all efforts to maximize the 4G communication coverage of the country. For instance, starting from the new year, beCloud and A1 launch the LTE network in a radio frequency range of 800 MHz for the first time in Belarus. We are pleased with our successful cooperation, since only the joint cooperation of cellular operators allows us to work for the benefit of subscribers", emphasizes Oleg Sedelnik, beCloud General Director.

Currently, 4G mobile Internet services are provided for A1 subscribers in the beCloud infrastructure operator network in a radio frequency range of 1,800 MHz. At the second stage of the project, a frequency range of 800 MHz will be used for the first time in Belarus. This will expand the territory of the LTE network coverage and provide high speed data transfer even in conditions of increased load on the existing base stations.