According to 1&1, the new deployment plan calls for approximately 1,200 antenna masts to be deployed by the end of 2023.
German carrier 1&1 said it plans to launch 5G services for smartphone users by the third quarter of 2023.
“at this point, [rival operator] Telefonica provides nationwide roaming coverage…and 1&1 provides nationwide [coverage] to our customers since the beginning,” the carrier said in its earnings report.
“Meanwhile, 1&1 has underperformed initial expectations on passive infrastructure. After missing its initial interim target of 1,000 5G antennas by a wide margin at the end of the last financial year, 1&1 has expanded its radio mast infrastructure. “Working with our partners, we developed a new deployment plan in March aimed at driving the expansion of antenna locations,” the carrier said.
The German airline said the new rollout plan sets out to have around 1,200 antenna masts in place by the end of 2023. “Starting in 2024, it is planned that 1&1 will operate an additional 3,000 additional antenna sites per year with Vantage Towers, American Towers and GfTD.” Eubanet is helping us acquire new antenna sites. ”
1&1 noted that the company aims to provide 5G services to a quarter of German households by the end of 2025 and half of them by the end of 2030.
“While the 2022 rollout targets were significantly missed, 1&1 is now confident that the commitments made by its expansion partners will be fulfilled in accordance with the contract,” the carrier added.
Earlier this month, Germany’s Federal Network Agency Bundesnetzagentur initiated penalty proceedings against 1&1 for failing to meet its 5G network coverage obligations.
As part of the 2019 spectrum auction, the carrier pledged to deploy 1,000 5G sites by the end of last year. 1&1 said the delay in the rollout of its 5G network infrastructure was the result of technical issues with its partners.
According to local reports, the tower operator, Vantage Towers, has failed to honor the delivery agreement on several occasions. The report also said the amount of the fine is still unknown. “The Federal Network Agency has initiated penalty proceedings in April 2023 due to its failure to fulfill its expansion obligations. In these proceedings, 1&1 has the opportunity to explain its position to the Federal Network Agency. “It is not yet possible to predict whether the Federal Network Agency will impose a fine at the end of the procedure,” the German company said.
“At 1&1’s instigation, the Federal Cartel Bureau is currently investigating whether the near-total failure of expansion partner Vantage Towers’ 2022 expansion plan was due to 1&1’s illegal influence. [rival operator] Vodafone is the controlling shareholder of Vantage Towers,” 1&1 said.
Since receiving its 5G license, the German carrier has been selecting technology partners to build its network. 1&1 has selected Japan’s Rakuten Group to design, build and operate a fully virtualized mobile network based on O-RAN technology. The telecommunications company has also signed a long-term tower lease agreement with Vantage Towers AG.
In August 2021, 1&1 and Rakuten Group announced a long-term partnership to build the former’s mobile network in Germany. With this transaction, Rakuten became the general contractor for 1&1 Mobile Network.
Earlier this year, 1&1 launched 5G services using fixed wireless access (FWA) technology.
The first antennas to provide 5G FWA have been put into operation in Frankfurt and Karlsruhe. The carrier said it plans to expand the service to cover new cities including Hamburg, Essen, Düsseldorf, Wiesbaden, Mainz, Munich and Freiburg.
The new service, called ‘5G at home’, replaces traditional DSL, fiber optic or cable internet connections and is now available in the first regions.
