European tower company Vantage Towers and Spanish mobile carrier Telefónica have partnered to deploy 5G Standalone (5G SA) at a Madrid shopping center.

The pair has deployed a Distributed Antenna (DAS) system in Plaza Norte 2 shopping center, providing the mall with indoor 5G SA infrastructure.

The 5G SA network has been set up at the Plaza Norte 2 shopping center, located in the north of Madrid. This shopping center spans a surface area of 147,920 sqm (1.6m sq ft), consists of more than 200 shops, 14 cinemas, a 35-meter dome, and 6,800 parking spaces.

According to Vantage Towers, the DAS will cover every corner of the shopping center, including the indoor car park.

5G SA is an upgrade from 5G Non-Standalone (5G NSA) as the technology is based on the 5G core network, whereas 5G NSA is based on 4G core.

The deployment of the DAS will provide a connectivity boost for visitors and merchants within the shopping center, accelerating instant mobile payments, seamless streaming, and advanced digital services.

"The deployment of 5G Standalone in Plaza Norte 2, a pioneer in Spain, guarantees a fluid and ultra -low latency digital experience in an environment as complex as a large shopping center," said Gerardo Rovira, director of mobile access and network core, Telefónica Spain.

No date was announced for when the 5G SA network will go live.

Vantage Towers was spun out of Vodafone Group, going public in 2021. A year later, Vodafone sold off some of its Vantage Towers unit, creating a new joint venture with KKR and Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) called Oak Holdings in the process.

The company operates approximately 88,000 sites in ten countries.