- Deutsche Telekom presents high-performance networks and digital applications at "Magenta Tech Talk”
- Deutsche Telekom and Korean SK Telecom bring 5G into the building
- Bonn-based Group puts fourth campus network into operation
- 5G premiere: World's first end-to-end data transmission in two network layers
- Technology partnership with Nreal
The digital change in the telecommunications and IT industry is progressing at a rapid pace. Deutsche Telekom is playing an active role in shaping this change, putting people at the center of attention. "Connectivity has become a key requirement in modern societies," said Claudia Nemat, member of the Board of Management responsible for Technology and Innovation at Deutsche Telekom, on Wednesday at the "Magenta Tech Talk" in Bonn. "However, technological progress that does not take people along on the road to the digital future is a step backwards for us. That is why we will not stop our efforts until everyone is connected.” The company used various examples to show how high-performance networks and digital applications can work hand in hand.
Deutsche Telekom and South Korean SK Telecom (SKT) have been working together as strategic partners for several years to make digital change tangible for customers. The two market leaders from Korea and Germany cooperate mainly in the areas of 5G, artificial intelligence and campus networks. To this end, they are combining Deutsche Telekom's strengths in network expansion and customer loyalty with SKT's technological expertise.
One of the first results of the cooperation is a high-performance 5G and 4G repeater. Physically, the higher the frequency of the radio waves used, the less they reach the devices inside buildings. With the high frequency bands of the new 5G standard, this challenge grows. SK Telecom already successfully offers its customers in its home market 5G and 4G solutions for indoor use. With the introduction of the repeater in Germany, Deutsche Telekom will be the first European provider to offer improved indoor 5G coverage. Telekom is looking for up to 200 business and residential customers who want to test the new offering extensively today. "A positive customer experience has a lot to do with optimum reception in buildings," emphasizes Claudia Nemat.
Telekom Campus Network in Leipzig
Customer satisfaction is also a key focus for Deutsche Telekom when building the campus networks. A few days ago, Telekom put a new campus network at the BMW Group's Leipzig plant into operation. This is the fourth campus network for customers that Telekom has set up in Europe. It consists of a private mobile communications network that is exclusively available to the BMW Group plant. It will be used in future to control and monitor various applications in production. In addition to the private campus network, the public network will transmit the same signal strength. This ensures a perfect connection even for devices that are not allowed to use the private network. For example, smartphones of customers or suppliers. The campus network at the BMW Group plant in Leipzig is based on the LTE standard in the first stage.
Network slicing for customized networks
Individual requirements, especially those of industrial customers, regarding data rates, speeds and latency times are playing an increasingly important role. To meet these requirements, Telekom counts on network slicing. This involves operating several virtual networks in parallel on the basis of a common network infrastructure. Network slicing is a key feature of 5G. Depending on customer requirements, it provides different service features and quality parameters for customized corporate networks.
Deutsche Telekom has now celebrated a world premiere in Bonn. In a multi-vendor project with Ericsson, Nokia and Qualcomm, it demonstrated the world's first end-to-end data transmission in parallel in two network slices on one platform. The platform integrates stand-alone 5G New Radio from Ericsson and a 5G Core from Nokia into a 5G standalone architecture. The results achieved under laboratory conditions confirm the feasibility of 5G network slicing for customer-specific enterprise applications. The platform is operated on Deutsche Telekom's infrastructure. The test device with the 5G slicing-capable chipset is from Qualcomm.
Open RAN standard increases flexibility and performance
Hardware becomes software - the production model of the telecommunications industry is facing a radical change. More and more network functionalities are decoupled from hardware. The networks of the future are open to software partners, more intelligent and adapt flexibly to new requirements.
In the development of new technologies, Deutsche Telekom has reached another milestone together with its partners VMware and Intel: the development of a so-called virtual RAN platform (vRAN) based on the Open RAN standard (O-RAN). RAN is the abbreviation for "Radio Access Network" and refers to antenna technology components in mobile communications. The new platform increases flexibility for LTE and 5G networks. At the same time, it makes the technical infrastructure independent of specific hardware. The solution is currently undergoing extensive laboratory testing.
The new virtual radio network architecture is based on software and cloud solutions with open standards and interfaces. This makes it possible for the first time to use optimization software for the wireless network. The first tests show: This software doubles the efficiency of an LTE radio network. In addition, the software-based platform is scalable. For example, if the number of antennas is increased from two to four, the efficiency of the virtual RAN is also doubled.
Real-time interaction
Nreal and Deutsche Telekom have agreed on a technology partnership to develop the topic "Mixed Reality" for the mass market. In a world where more and more digital information is available, "Mixed Reality" is changing the way we interact with each other. The future of immersive entertainment will be the starting point here. Nreal and Deutsche Telekom will work together in terms of both hardware and software and with the involvement of other partners. For the first time, Nreal glasses will enable the experience of mixed reality in high quality with a stylish form factor that is suitable for the masses. By providing key technologies, from edge computing to the best connectivity, combined with the best content for entertainment, such as music concerts, sports events or even gaming, Telekom is in a good position to unleash the full potential of mixed reality.
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