The mobile network
LTE reaches 98 per cent of people and 71 per cent of the ground. The core runs on published software, the SIM is provision, and nothing about the handset is registered anywhere.
The coreOpen5GS at four sites
What runs the network
The core is Open5GS
The packet core, the subscriber register and the call session control all run on Open5GS on ordinary machines at four sites. The configuration is published alongside the software, so anyone can see exactly what the network does with a handset that attaches to it.
No proprietary vendor core has been used. A core that cannot be read cannot be audited, and an unauditable core would fail the constitutional requirement that software be examinable.
Calls run over VoLTE
Voice runs over the data bearer. There is no circuit fallback to maintain, because there is no legacy 2G or 3G network under it: the Republic went from analogue trunking straight to LTE in 2013.
Calls between two handsets with a clear path between them are handed to WebRTC and carried directly, which keeps them off the core entirely.
CoverageJune 2026
Where it reaches
| Generation | Population covered | Land covered | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| LTE | 98.1 % | 71 % | All twenty sub-regions |
| 5G standalone | 31 % | 4 % | Lindoma, Cortius, Sornorum, part of Sederna |
| Fixed wireless on LTE | - | - | 504,000 households, mostly on the plain |
Land coverage is low and stays low. Masts need a communal vote and objections are common, so coverage follows the roads and the valleys, and the remaining terrain is uncovered.
5G31 per cent of people, 4 per cent of the ground
Standalone, and slow
The 5G programme advances slowly, by decision of the assembly. Each site is a communal decision, each one costs materials against a ceiling the commune sets. The federation's position is that LTE meets current demand. The assembly reviews the programme yearly and has twice voted to slow it.
The rollout is standalone from the start. There is no non-standalone stage, because anchoring 5G to an LTE carrier would have meant a second core to audit.
SIMs and handsetsOne per resident, more on asking
Provision and what is never recorded
- Getting a SIMAt any commune officeOne per resident, more on request, no reason asked and no name required for the extra ones.
- LockingNone, anywhereNo handset lock, no network lock, no carrier profile. A SIM issued here works in any compatible handset.
- IMEI registerDoes not existThe network does not record handset identifiers and has no table in which to keep them.
- BandsB1 B3 B7 B20 · n78Common European allocations. Almost any imported handset works on the radio side.
- HandsetsAny examinable handsetA handset running software that cannot be inspected, replaced or removed is prohibited from sale, and most foreign models fail on that alone.
- RoamingAcross the BlocNumbers and data service continue in the Bloc states at no charge. Outside the Bloc there is no agreement to roam under.