Play - Poland

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Poland Flag of Poland View country details


Play (Poland) uses 2 GSM bands, 1 UMTS band, 4 LTE bands, and 2 5G NR bands. Find out if your unlocked phone or mobile device will work with Play (Poland). See the tables below for details.

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Carrier website: http://www.play.pl/

Last updated: 2024/08/05 - See latest updates

Play Poland is a leading telecommunications company in Poland, offering a wide range of mobile services. Here are some key points about the Play Poland mobile network:

Overview

  • Founded: Play was founded in 2007 as Poland’s fourth mobile network operator.
  • Ownership: It is owned by P4 Sp. z o.o., a subsidiary of Play Communications S.A., which is part of the French Iliad Group.
  • Market Share: As of Q2 2022, Play has over 15 million subscribers, representing a 34% market share in Poland.

Network Coverage and Speed

  • Coverage: Play offers good overall mobile coverage, with a strong focus on 5G. According to the May 2023 Opensignal Mobile Network Experience Report, Play ranks second for 5G Availability, with users spending 10.9% of their time with an active 5G connection. Play also ranks second for Download Speed Experience, with average download speeds of 30.9 Mbps.
  • 5G: Play’s 5G network covers over 50% of the Polish population, offering speeds averaging 21.9 Mbps per download.
  • Video and Gaming Experience: Play excels in video streaming and gaming experiences, winning the Video Experience and Games Experience awards outright with scores of 69 and 72.4 points, respectively.

Network Infrastructure

  • Base Stations: Play has over 11,500 base stations, covering nearly 100% of the Polish population.
  • Fiber Optic Network: Play is also developing a fiber optic network that will reach over 6 million households, providing high-quality internet services.

Services and Plans

  • Prepaid SIM Cards and eSIMs: Play offers prepaid SIM cards and eSIMs, which are available for tourists and locals alike. These plans provide access to Play’s 4G/LTE and 5G networks at affordable rates starting from 15 PLN.
  • Top-Up Options: Users can top up their accounts using the Play app, vouchers, or Play Express machines.

Roaming Agreements

  • Domestic Roaming: Play has agreements with other major operators in Poland, including Polkomtel (Plus), Orange, and T-Mobile, ensuring nationwide coverage through domestic roaming.

Play Poland is known for its reliable and fast mobile network, making it a popular choice for both local and international users.

Frequency Bands

GSM

Name Interface Description
900 MHz (E-GSM) GSM

Play Poland uses the GSM 900 MHz (E-GSM) frequency band. This band operates at frequencies of 880.0 MHz to 915.0 MHz for the uplink and 925.0 MHz to 960.0 MHz for the downlink. The GSM 900 MHz (E-GSM) frequency band is widely used in most parts of the world, including Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania.
1800 MHz (DCS) GSM

Play Poland uses the GSM 1800 MHz (DCS) frequency band for both 2G and 4G services. This band operates within the 1.8 GHz frequency range, with the uplink ranging from 1710–1785 MHz and the downlink ranging from 1805–1880 MHz. It was introduced in 1991 as an extension of the GSM standard.

UMTS

Name Interface Description
B8 (900 MHz GSM) UMTS

Play Poland uses UMTS band B8 (900 MHz GSM). The deployment of this frequency band is not specified in the provided information.

LTE

Name Interface Description
B1 (2100 MHz) LTE

Play Poland uses LTE B1 (2100 MHz) for its LTE services. This frequency band is used for both LTE and 3G technologies. The deployment details for this band are not specified in the provided information.
B3 (1800 MHz +) LTE

Play Poland uses the LTE B3 (1800 MHz +) frequency band.
B7 (2600 MHz) LTE

Play Poland uses LTE Band 7 (2600 MHz) for its 4G-LTE services. The band is deployed with 20 MHz paired spectrum, using EARFCNs 2850 and 3350 respectively.
B20 (800 MHz DD) LTE

Play Poland uses LTE B20 (800 MHz DD) for its LTE network deployments. This frequency band is particularly known for its wide area coverage and deep penetration, making it suitable for regional and rural environments, as well as in-building coverage. It is also popular for IoT applications like eMTC (LTE Cat M1) and NB-IoT (LTE Cat NB1) due to its wide coverage characteristics. The 800 MHz band does not easily support Massive MIMO and beamforming technologies due to its large wavelength. It can be used as a single band or as part of a multi-band network, and it supports carrier aggregation with other bands to enhance bandwidth and performance.

5G NR

Name Interface Description
N1 (2100 MHz) 5G NR

Play Poland uses the 5G NR N1 frequency band, which operates on the 2100 MHz range. This band is used for both uplink and downlink transmissions, with the uplink ranging from 1920 to 1980 MHz and the downlink ranging from 2110 to 2170 MHz. The band supports various channel bandwidths, including 5, 10, 15, and 20 MHz. Play Poland has deployed 5G services on this frequency band, offering speeds of up to 300 Mbps, although the coverage is limited to around 48% of the population.
N78 (3500 MHz) 5G NR

Play Poland, one of the largest telecom operators in Poland, has allocated the 3,500-3,600 MHz frequency band for its 5G NR N78 network. This band is part of the 3.5 GHz or C-band, which is widely used for Time Division Duplexing (TDD) and is known for its high capacity throughput. The n78 band spans from 3300 MHz to 3800 MHz, supporting channel bandwidths ranging from 10 MHz to 100 MHz. Advanced technologies like massive MIMO, beam-forming, and beam-tracking help mitigate the limited range and building penetration issues associated with higher frequencies. This band is particularly popular for its ability to support large channel widths, making it suitable for delivering high-capacity 5G services.

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