Deutsche Telekom noted that around 98% of households can already access the carrier’s 5G network
In sum – what to know:
115 new sites added – Deutsche Telekom expanded its network with 115 new mobile sites in July, strengthening coverage across Germany’s regions.
Capacity boosted at 741 sites – 5G was introduced at 257 locations, while overall capacity expansions improved resilience in key states.
Ultra-high-capacity 5G – By combining low-, mid-, and high-band frequencies, DT aims for 90% of sites to deliver 1 Gbps per cell, underpinning nationwide 5G performance.
German telecom operator Deutsche Telekom expanded its mobile network in July adding a total of 115 new mobile radio sites across the country.
In a release, the operator also said it has also increased capacity at 741 existing sites during the month. 5G technology was connected for the first time at 257 of these sites.
Most new sites were put into operation in North Rhine-Westphalia (23), followed by Hesse (17) and Bavaria (15). In terms of capacity expansions at existing sites, North Rhine-Westphalia led the list (154), followed by Baden-Württemberg (94) and Bavaria (79).
The telco also noted that around 98% of households can already access Deutsche Telekom’s 5G network, while LTE coverage currently reaches almost 100% of households across Germany.
Between March and May, the European carrier had added a total of 276 new mobile radio sites across the country. The operator also said it has also increased capacity at 1,209 existing sites during that period. 5G technology was connected for the first time at 278 of these sites.
Deutsche Telekom said it is building an ultra-high-capacity network. A combination of measures will double the capacity of the network, the telco said, adding that 90% of the locations will offer a download capacity of 1 gigabit per second per cell.
The telco highlighted that all locations will use low-band frequencies (700, 800, and 900 MHz) in the future, as they offer long range and good network coverage – even in buildings. “They form the basis for seamless mobile network coverage. 90% of the locations will also receive mid-band frequencies (1,500 MHz, 1,800 MHz, and 2.1 GHz). These enable high transmission rates and fast response times. They are the key performance drivers in the mobile network. The 3.6 GHz band will be used specifically at traffic hubs,” Deutsche Telekom added.
The telco previously highlighted that 5G antennas on the 3.6 GHz frequency are particularly powerful, because they are almost exclusively connected to the transport network with a 10 Gbps connection via fiber optics. The telco noted that the 3.6 GHz frequency band supplements the 5G frequencies in the 700 MHz and 2.1 GHz range, which are already in use nationwide in the Deutsche Telekom network. Especially in densely populated areas, the 3.6 GHz frequencies ensure particularly high download speeds and smooth mobile phone coverage, the carrier said.
Deutsche Telekom had previously made private 5G available in millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum at 26 GHz for the first time in Germany. It claims the band allows for round-trip latencies of three to four milliseconds and download and upload data rates of more than four and two gigabits per second, respectively. It is offering mmWave support as part of its ‘campus network’ offer, which has until now used the dedicated 3.7-3.8 GHz mid-band spectrum in Germany.
Higher-band mmWave spectrum offers a shorter coverage range, but a higher bandwidth and higher speeds. In Germany, the 26 GHz band has been allocated exclusively by national telecoms regulator BNetzA to enterprises for localized applications by the Federal Network Agency. It can currently only be used for local applications. Deutsche Telekom said it has now trialed 5G frequencies in the mmWave range at 26 GHz with industrial customers.
