1&1 said that the first customers will be able to start using internet services provided by its new 5G network in the summer
German carrier 1&1 recently completed the first live test in its new 5G network, the telco said in a statement.
“We are building a fully virtualized Open RAN network without dependencies on dominant manufacturers from China, with over 500 edge data centers, gigabit antennas and fiber optic infrastructure. In July we started the first user test under real conditions and the results met our predictions and in some cases even exceeded them,” the company said.
In the tests, 1&1 said that it achieved speeds of over 1 Gbps and stable data transfers of around 8 terabytes per customer within 24 hours.
1&1 also confirmed that the first customers will be able to start using internet services provided by the carrier’s new 5G network in the summer.
Earlier this year, 1&1 announced plans to speed up the deployment of the fourth mobile network in Germany, including the deployment of 1,000 5G base stations during 2022.
In an interview with German newspaper Die Welt, Ralph Dommermuth, CEO of 1&1 parent company United Internet, had said that the telco’s mobile network will initially provide 5G fixed wireless access services (FWA). He said that 5G mobile services will be available for smartphone users around mid-2023.
As part of the commitments included in the license that the telco had obtained in 2019 for the provision of mobile services, 1&1 is obliged to deploy at least 1,000 base stations this year. The 1&1 network must reach at least 25% of German households by the end of 2025 and at least 50% by end-2030, as part of those commitments.
Dommermuth had also said that the new network will be profitable within a few years.
1&1 currently provides mobile services to nearly 11 million customers, mainly through a wholesale arrangement with rival operator Telefonica Deutschland.
Since the acquisition of its 5G license, the company has been selecting tech partners for the construction of its network. 1&1 had selected Japanese company Rakuten Group to design, build and operate a fully virtualized mobile network based O-RAN technology. The telco has also signed a long-term tower rental agreement with Vantage Towers AG.
In August 2021, 1&1 and Rakuten Group announced a long-term partnership to build the former’s mobile network in Germany. Through this deal, Rakuten became the general contractor for the 1&1 mobile network.
Specifically, Rakuten will take over the build of the active network equipment and will also be responsible for the overall performance of the 1&1 mobile network. The German telco will have access to the Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP) stack of access, core, cloud and operations solutions as well as to its partner network.
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