Since the beginning of the year, Vodafone has installed 119 new LTE stations and 26 5G stations across the nation.Vodafone Germany has already equipped 37,000 antennas with 5G technology, according to a press release from the German carrier.
According to Vodafone Germany, these include 3,400 5G Standalone (SA) stations and approximately 10,000 5G SA antennas.
It has been stated by Vodafone that 119 new LTE stations and 26 5G stations have been installed since the beginning of January.
This summer, it was announced by the carrier that the first calls over the 5G network in select locations will be able to be made by its customers. Currently, only 5G data services are available. Voice over New Radio (VoNR) calls over its 5G network will be facilitated by Vodafone Germany. By using this technology, voice signals are converted into data packets and transmitted via 5G.
“We are not only expanding our 5G network across the board. We are also strengthening it by bringing new technologies to the network and thus making the potential of 5G tangible for our customers.”
Tanja Richter, head of technology at Vodafone
Earlier this year, it was stated by Vodafone Germany that the activation of 2,700 new 5G sites with a total of 8,000 antennas in the first half of 2023 is intended.
In 2022, 5,450 5G sites with over 16,000 antennas were commissioned by technicians from Vodafone. According to the company, 36,000 antennas have already been equipped with 5G.
Coverage to 65 million individuals across the country, or roughly 80% of Germany’s population, is already provided by the 5G network of the carrier, as stated.
Nearly 20 million Germans are presently provided access to its 5G Standalone network, as previously stated by the telecommunications provider. Nationwide 5G SA coverage is planned to be achieved by 2025, according to Vodafone.
In 2018, Vodafone Germany introduced its 5G Standalone (SA) network in collaboration with Ericsson, Nokia, Qualcomm, and Oppo.
For the expansion of 5G in large urban areas, residential areas and suburbs, and rural areas of Germany, Vodafone relies on frequencies in the 3.6 GHz, 1.8 GHz, and 700 MHz channels.
The activation of its 5G network in Germany for the first time in 2019 was done by Vodafone, utilizing 3.5 GHz frequencies acquired from Telefónica in 2018.
A successful field trial with Open RAN (O-RAN) technology was recently concluded by Vodafone Germany in Plauen, Saxony.
Extensive pilot projects for open 5G radio access networks in multiple German cities were announced previously by the German service provider. The operator’s first two O-RAN base stations are situated in rural Bavaria. Starting in early 2023, O-RAN technology will be deployed on a larger scale by Vodafone’s European mobile networks.
The O-RAN hardware and software that Vodafone tested successfully in the United Kingdom earlier this year will be utilized in the pilot initiatives. Presently, Samsung is providing mobile technology and software for these O-RAN trials.
Source: RCR Wireless
