Movistar Spain is a major telecommunications provider that operates within Spain. The company is owned by Telefónica, a Spanish multinational telecommunications company. Movistar Spain was established in 1995, following the launch of GSM services in the country. The brand name, Movistar, became globally recognised on 5th April 2005, subsequent to Telefónica's acquisition of the BellSouth mobile operations in South America. Despite the acquisition of O2 in 2005, Telefónica decided to maintain the "O2" brand in the United Kingdom and Germany as a separate entity with its own board and management structure. Since 2011, Telefónica has sponsored a UCI ProTeam squad in cycling under the name of Movistar Team.
Country
Spain
Type
Mobile Network Operator
Ownership
Telefónica Group
Movistar Logo

3G Network

The company launched its 3G network in July 2006 over the B1 (2100 MHz) band. The network was upgraded to DC-HSPA+ in October 2010. B8 (900 MHz) 3G was added in 2011.

The network shutdown was announced for 2025.

Network Frequency Band Status
B1 (2100 MHz)
Active
B8 (900 MHz)
Active
Date Event Subtype
Launch of 3G Network
Launch

4G Network

The company's 4G LTE network was launched in September 2013 using the B3 (1800 MHz) band, later adding B7 and B20. NB-IoT services were launched in October 2018, which makes use of the company's B20 (800 MHz) band.

4G Frequency Bands
Network Frequency Band Max. Channel Bandwidth Status
B3 (1800 MHz)
20
Active
B7 (2600 MHz)
20
Active
B20 (800 MHz)
10
Active
Date Event Subtype
Launch of 4G Network
Launch

5G Network

Movistar launched their 5G network in September 2020 using a combination of DSS n1 and n3 bands, along with dedicated mid-band n78 (3500 MHz). The network was extended in February 2022 with the addition of low-band n28 (700 MHz), and again in September 2023 with the launch of mmWave 5G.

Network Frequency Band Max. Channel Bandwidth Status
n1 (2100 MHz)
15
Active
n3 (1800 MHz)
20
Active
n28 (700 MHz)
10
Active
n78 (3500 MHz)
100
Active
n258 (26 GHz)
400
Active
n258 (26 GHz)
400
Active
Date Event Subtype
Launch of 5G Network
Launch