Vodafone said that its 5G Standalone network is currently available to nearly 20 million people across Germany
Vodafone Germany said its 5G network is already providing coverage to 60 million people across the country.
In a release, the telco said it has already deployed a total of 41,000 5G base stations nationwide.
In October alone, more than 50 new 5G Standalone (SA) base stations were activated, reaching a total of 2,750 5G SA stations at a national level.
The telco also noted that its 5G Standalone network is currently available to nearly 20 million people across Germany. Vodafone previously said that 5G SA technology will reach nationwide coverage by 2025.
Last year, Vodafone Germany launched its 5G Standalone (SA) network in partnership with Ericsson, Nokia, Qualcomm and OPPO.
For the 5G expansion, Vodafone is relying on frequencies in the 3.6 GHz, 1.8 GHz and 700 MHz bands in large urban areas, residential areas and suburbs, and rural areas across Germany.
Vodafone previously said that it was installing new 5G antennas from technology partner Ericsson in its 5G network, which transmit data in a significantly more energy-efficient manner. In comparison to previous antenna technology, around 40% energy can be saved in the transmission of data. Vodafone has been testing 150 of these 5G antennas and aimed to convert 900 5G antennas to this energy-saving technology by the end of the current financial year.
Vodafone initially launched its 5G network in Germany in 2019, using 3.5 GHz frequencies that it acquired from Telefónica in 2018.
Vodafone Germany also said that it has successfully completed a field test with Open RAN (O-RAN) technology in Plauen, in Saxony region.
The carrier announced today that it will carry out comprehensive pilot projects for open 5G radio access networks at several locations in Germany. The first two stations for the operator’s O-RAN technology are located in rural Bavaria. The pilots are scheduled to start in early 2023 and mark the beginning of a broader deployment of O-RAN technology in Vodafone’s European mobile networks.
The pilot projects will use O-RAN hardware and software, which Vodafone successfully tested in the U.K. earlier this year. Samsung is currently supplying mobile technology and software for these O-RAN trials.
Tanja Richter, head of network at Vodafone Germany said: “Our pilot project will be one of the first O-RAN systems in Germany that uses open interfaces and is based on hardware and software from multiple providers that are fully interchangeable and interoperable.”
“O-RAN makes supply chains more resilient to outages and can help work with a greater number and variety of vendors. More competition fuels innovation and improves the customer experience,” the executive added.
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