Screening in a mobile network won't work. In resorts, operators are tearing their hair out

Long weekends and holidays are a demanding time for mobile operators. In the most popular resorts, the share of Play subscribers alone in relation to the number of inhabitants exceeds 500%. Therefore, the operator plans to further expand its mobile network to a minimum of over 15 thousand base stations. In 2020-2024, Play invested over PLN 6 billion in the network and frequency.

- We see traffic growing during the May Day weekend or Corpus Christi. Regardless of whether the long weekend lasts two, three or four days, or whether we are talking about the holiday season, which lasts two months, we still observe the same pattern, i.e. traffic can increase even four or five times - Michał Ziółkowski, director of the Technology Division and member of the Play management board, tells the Newseria agency.

The Play "WczasoPolacy" report indicates that during the peak of the travel season - during vacations, holidays, long weekends or holidays - network traffic in the most popular resorts increases by several to several hundred percent. Between January 2024 and March 2025, the places with the largest user growth in terms of telecommunications infrastructure included:

• during the winter holidays in Zakopane, the area around Białka Tatrzańska and Bukowina Tatrzańska,
• at Easter - Kołobrzeg, Świnoujście, Stegna, Wolin, Międzyzdroje, but also Zakopane and Ostróda.
• During the May Day weekend and Corpus Christi, the most popular areas are Władysławowo and Karwia, as well as Kołobrzeg, Stegna, and the areas around Mielno and Sarbinowo.

The record holder is Krynica Morska, where in July and August the share of Play subscribers in relation to the population grows by approx. 500%, and on Corpus Christi the increase reached 552%.

- We prepare for such holiday periods all year long. Play has been building very intensively for years. Our investment program is planned for years, but we try, especially with regard to holiday rest, to plan the investment logic so that the stations are ready by the end of June and can handle increased traffic in places where we rest - assures Michał Ziółkowski.

In the period 2020-2024, Play's investments in the network and frequencies amounted to PLN 6.1 billion, and in subsequent years, expenditures on network development will be maintained at a similar level. The operator currently has 12,669 transmitters and plans to further expand its mobile network to a minimum of over 15,000 base stations.

- In addition, we are equipping existing base stations with new technologies such as 5G C band, i.e. frequencies in the 3400-3800 MHz range. Recently, we also acquired two blocks in the 700 MHz band as a result of an auction and we will soon launch this network as well, to improve the experience of our customers inside buildings. At the beginning of April, we decided to replace the already outdated 3G technology, which does not provide much satisfaction to users, both in terms of voice calls and those related to internet access, with more efficient, better technologies, such as 4G, 5G - announces the director of the Play Technology Division.

The increasing traffic in telecommunications networks is visible throughout the year. In Play, the increase in the use of mobile and stationary data is on average around 20% year-on-year. In the first quarter of this year alone, the operator's customers sent 1,069 PB (petabytes) of data. Users are increasingly willing to use devices supporting the 5G standard - 4.9 million smartphones are already logging into the Play network. Currently, eight out of 10 phones sold in Play are 5G devices.

- The development of infrastructure also supports economic activity, I mean mobile payments. Many of us no longer carry a wallet, we have phones in our pockets, smart watches, smart rings are entering the market. All these solutions mean that connectivity is necessary - convinces Michał Ziółkowski.

The expansion of telecommunications infrastructure involves not only significant investment outlays, but also many formalities, which is why the process of obtaining building permits must begin much earlier.

- The average time it takes to build a station is about 18 months, but we also have cases where one station could take 10 years to build. Such infrastructure can be built much faster, but permits and administrative decisions are important. Based on our 20 years of experience, we can see that these regulations remain too complicated. We want to cooperate with decision-makers to simplify these regulations - emphasizes Małgorzata Zakrzewska, Director of the Corporate Affairs Division at Play.

The study by Chinese and Taiwanese researchers from the universities of Nanchang and Taichung cited in the Play report (published in the article "The impact of technology on the development of tourism") showed a positive economic relationship between the implementation of modern telecommunications services (fast mobile networks and efficient fixed fiber-optic connections) and the number of tourists visiting a given region.

- Investments translate to users in such a way that they can enjoy entertainment available through data transmission, from TV streaming. They can make calls, work remotely, function in the economic cycle by making payments - lists Małgorzata Zakrzewska.

- We often watch films on YouTube or Netflix on the beach - thanks to the good quality of the network, this is possible. The safety aspect is also important, because new base stations, especially in difficult mountainous areas, help call for help, services. The Baltic Sea often plays tricks with different weather conditions, sometimes when resting, we have to stay in a hotel and here, as Play, we offer permanent connections - adds Michał Ziółkowski.

Investments in telecommunications infrastructure, both mobile and stationary, are the foundation of the entire digital ecosystem in the country. Society and economy are very much based on digital infrastructure. Without connectivity, both basic and modern technologies such as 5G, society or economy cannot function.

- As the tragic events related to the flood have shown, an operator like us must be prepared, at least with power generators. When the power grid goes down, we are able to deliver such a generator to the place of crisis and connect the base station so that it can continue to function and provide connectivity for people affected by the crisis - emphasizes the director of the Corporate Affairs Division at Play.

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