Polish operator Play has launched its 13,000th base station in Toruń and will end national roaming by the end of 2025, marking full technological independence for its mobile network
Poland’s Play announced it has reached another milestone in the development of its own mobile network. The launch of its 13,000th base station coincides symbolically with a milestone for the carrier – by the end of the year it will cease using national roaming.
Play previously had a roaming agreement with T‑Mobile Polska, which expired on 31 December 2021. Play retained a roaming agreement with Orange Polska. In June 2021 Orange and Play signed an addendum extending that national roaming agreement until 2025.
The 13,000th Play base station was launched in Toruń. The operator said the choice of location is also symbolic – this city in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship has for years served as a test environment for new network technologies. Play activated its first LTE transmitters in Toruń, rolled out 5G there, and conducted numerous pilots and tests. Station Number 13,000 is located at the Marian Rose Motoarena, Toruń’s speedway stadium. It is a modern installation supporting all available technologies, including 5G.
Network progress
Since the beginning of 2025, Play’s mobile network has grown by as many as 574 base stations. October was a record month for network expansion, with the operator commissioning 80 new stations. New sites were built both in major cities – including Warsaw, Łódź, Gdańsk, Poznań, Kraków and Rzeszów – and in popular tourist destinations such as Puck, Kołobrzeg and Bukowina Tatrzańska.
Play said dynamic network development is not only about new stations but also ongoing modernisation of existing infrastructure. The year 2025 is a key one for Play in terms of strategic network projects, such as replacing 3G technology and deploying 700 MHz spectrum, which significantly improves coverage.
“Thirteen thousand base stations is far more than a number to us. It symbolises our technological transformation and shows that we are consistently delivering on our promise to build the most modern and advanced network in Poland,” said Play management board member and CTO Michał Ziółkowski. “Our investments allow us to offer excellent quality and coverage, and now to enter a new era of network technology independence. It is a source of pride for the entire team and a foundation for further development of next-generation services.”
Roam no more
Achieving technological independence will become a reality at the end of this year, when Play stops using national roaming. This marks the completion of the process, which began in December 2019, of phasing out reliance on domestic roaming partners.
Access to other operators’ transmitters was a key element of Play’s strategy in the early years of its network. It ensured connectivity for customers while the company’s own infrastructure was still being developed. Today, Play provides services independently across the entire country.
