The process will integrate GSM and UMTS infrastructure
German telecom operator Telefónica Deutschland expects to start the integration of its mobile unit O2 and mobile operator E-Plus in January 2016, the telco said in a statement.
Telefónica Deutschland, which is fully owned by Spanish telecom group Telefónica, completed the acquisition of E-Plus in 2014. E-Plus was previously owned by Dutch telecommunications operator KPN.
The telco said the network integration process will begin with the respective GSM and UMTS networks. The operator also said it will continue to expand its LTE network and plans to enable joint LTE use beginning in mid-2016.
“As a leading digital telecoms company, we want to provide our customers with the best network experience. Following the successful introduction of national roaming, the integration of the mobile networks is the next key step on the road to even better and denser network coverage,” said Telefonica Deutschland COO Markus Hass.
In 2016, the network integration process is said to focus on the densely populated urban areas across Germany. In the first year of the network integration, Telefónica Deutschland aims to reach more than 60% of the population with its integrated network. The full completion of the network integration is expected to take five years.
The European operator is beginning the technical integration of the UMTS and GSM networks following planning and testing, which included the selection of the best transmitter sites with the optimal geographical distribution.
Telefónica Deutschland had a total of 43.28 million mobile customers at the end of the third quarter of 2015, including O2 and E-Plus customers. LTE subscribers numbered 7 million at the end of September, according to Telefónica’s latest financial report.
O2 initially launched commercial LTE services in Germany in 2011 through spectrum in the 800 MHz band. In March 2014, E-Plus started commercial LTE service in Berlin, Leipzig and Nuremberg by using 10 megahertz of spectrum in the 1800 MHz frequency band.
In June, Telefónica Deutschland secured 60 megahertz of spectrum in the 700 MHz, 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands.
