Deutsche Telekom will equip more than 28,000 sites with high-speed connections at 10 Gbps
German operator Deutsche Telekom has already connected 83% of all 5G mobile communications locations nationwide with fiber optics, the telco said in a release.
The telco also said that more than 10,000 5G mobile sites now have fiber optic connections with a speed of 10 Gbits, accounting for around 40% of all 5G mobile radio systems. By 2026, Deutsche Telekom will equip more than 28,000 cell phone sites with high-speed connections at 10 Gbits.
“The demands on our mobile network are constantly increasing. In the Telekom network alone, mobile data traffic is growing by around 30% a year,” said Abdu Mudesir, head of technology at Telekom Deutschland. “Not only is the amount of data increasing rapidly, but also the pace thanks to 5G. That is why we are not only expanding our network with more and more 5G antennas, but are also ensuring even more capacity and speed in the transport network.”
The telco also 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 Gbits connection via fiber optics.
The telco added 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.
Earlier this month, Deutsche Telekom said that a total of 9,700 of its 5G antennas in 750 cities are currently transmitting on the 3.6 GHz spectrum band.
Around 95% of households can already access Deutsche Telekom’s 5G network, while LTE coverage currently reaches 99% of households across Germany.
In June of last year, Deutsche Telekom announced it was for the first time using spectrum in the 700 MHz range to provide 5G service. The European carrier said that the use of the 700 MHz band improve mobile communications coverage in rural areas across Germany. In addition to the 700 MHz frequency, there are two other radio bands: 2.1 GHz and 3.6 GHz.
Deutsche Telekom said that 5G Standalone (SA) is technically available in the 2.1 GHz frequency band, adding that commercial use of 5G SA for residential customers will start as soon as applications are available.
Deutsche Telekom kicked off the rollout of its 5G network in a limited number of cities across Germany at the beginning of July 2019.
