- 10,000 mobile sites connected at 10 Gbit/s thanks to the latest technology
- Fiber connection already in place at 83 per cent of all 5G sites
- Fiber ensures highest 5G data rates and more capacity in the mobile network
Telekom is ensuring an even better mobile experience and the fastest 5G: to this end, the company has already connected 83 percent of all 5G mobile sites nationwide via fiber optics. This high-performance connection of the mobile antennas to the network infrastructure behind them is crucial to transporting the increasing mobile data traffic in the network quickly and reliably. In addition, Telekom is continuously upgrading the mobile network with state-of-the-art technology: for example, more than 10,000 5G mobile sites now have fiber-optic connections with a speed of 10 gigabits per second (Gbit/s) - this corresponds to around 40 percent of all Telekom 5G mobile sites. The higher data throughput enables even more capacity and maximum data rates for customers in the respective mobile cell. Especially in places with high network utilization, people thus benefit from additional bandwidth while on the move. By 2026, Telekom will equip more than 28,000 mobile network locations with a high-speed connection of 10 Gbit/s.
"The demands on our mobile network are constantly increasing: In Telekom's network alone, mobile data traffic is growing by around 30 percent a year," says Abdu Mudesir, Chief Technology Officer, Telekom Deutschland. "Not only the amount of data is increasing rapidly, but also the speed thanks to 5G. That's why we are not only expanding our network with more and more 5G antennas, but also ensuring even more capacity and speed in the transport network."
Basis for 10 Gbit connection: Latest technology and high-performance nodes
Optical fiber is the most future-proof, sustainable and powerful transmission technology for data. Deutsche Telekom therefore relies almost entirely on a fiber-optic connection for the transport network for mobile communications. Fiber optic lines also connect the radio sites with the central nodes in the transport network - Telekom's 900 central exchanges distributed throughout Germany.
In order to realize data rates of 10 Gbit per second in addition to the fiber optic connection, state-of-the-art mobile radio gateways were installed at the mobile radio sites. These enable faster data processing during the transition between the transport network and the mobile radio antennas. Such gateways are installed at all newly built locations and in Telekom's modernization measures. The prerequisite for this was a new aggregation platform for the nationwide mobile communications transport network. Telekom had introduced this gradually in the exchanges from 2018 and completed the changeover in 2022. The new platform aggregates the data from Telekom's more than 36,000 German mobile network sites in such a way that it is transported onwards extremely quickly, efficiently and reliably via 24 higher-level nodes in the transport network. Among other things, new special router technology was used to meet the high requirements of 5G. This enables higher bit rates and thus more and faster data traffic. The mobile network sites with a 10Gbit/s connection are also connected via separate fiber lines to two different central transport network nodes. This makes the sites particularly fail-safe.
Fiber connectivity and frequencies for 5G gigabit speeds
5G antennas on the 3.6 GHz frequency are also particularly powerful in the Telekom network because they are almost exclusively connected to the transport network with a 10 Gbit/s connection via fiber optics. This means that customers can use speeds of up to 1 Gbit/s for surfing, streaming and faster downloads while on the move. More than 750 towns and cities across Germany are already benefiting from the fastest 5G mobile communications. The 3.6 GHz frequency band complements the 5G frequencies in the 700 megahertz and 2.1 GHz range that are already in use throughout Germany in Telekom's network. Especially in more densely populated areas, the 3.6 GHz frequencies ensure particularly high download speeds and smooth mobile coverage.
In addition to speed, it is also important that sufficient 5G power is available to each and every mobile user. Telekom achieves this through the intelligent use of several 5G frequency spectrums per mobile network location. The more frequencies are emitted from a location, the more data can flow there. This ensures that sufficient 5G power is available to Telekom customers, not only in large cities.
High speed also for mobile phone expansion with 5G
Telekom is putting in a strong performance in the expansion of the 5G network. Never before has a mobile technology been introduced so quickly. Across Germany, 80 million people can already use Telekom's 5G network - that's more than 95 percent of the population. Since the 5G launch in 2019, the company has equipped a total of more than 25,000 mobile network sites across Germany with 5G or built new ones. More than 80,000 mobile antennas are now transmitting 5G in Telekom's network. And the expansion continues: by 2025, the network operator wants to reach 99 percent of the population with 5G.
Germany's largest and best network
Telekom is not only the leading German 5G network operator, but also ranks among the best in Europe. The results of the latest network tests confirm the company's commitment to network expansion - both for 5G and LTE: Telekom's mobile network is the best in Germany. Stiftung Warentest, Imtest, Smartphone Magazin, Chip, Computer Bild and Connect all named Telekom the test winner. Telekom was the first German network operator ever to receive the rating "outstanding" for its mobile network from the trade magazine Connect (issue 1/2023). Telekom also puts network leadership in the foreground in its new campaign: The message is: "Network is everything. We are the network." The campaign shows the diversity of digital everyday moments and emphasizes what connects people: The net has become an integral part and thus the digital lifeline of life and work.
About Deutsche Telekom: Deutsche Telekom Group profile
