To address the shortage of rooftop space in Germany and improve 5G coverage in urban areas, Vodafone is working with Ericsson to introduce new small antenna technology to its mobile network, starting with installations in Düsseldorf, with the aim of adding 500 more across Germany by the end of 2026.
One of the biggest challenges for network expansion in Germany is finding new locations to install additional 5G antennas due to the lack of space left on rooftops. Available rooftop locations often do not meet the static requirements of network planners, and current locations with LTE masts often lack the space to install additional 5G antennas.
To address this challenge, Vodafone deployed Ericsson interleaved AIR 3218 antennas to improve rooftop 5G network performance, capacity and coverage without increasing the antenna footprint. The first small 5G antennas have been deployed in a multi-storey car park in Düsseldorf, with up to 500 antennas planned for deployment across the network by the end of 2026. This will facilitate Vodafone’s network expansion and increase 5G coverage on rooftops in Germany in particular.
In the new generation of antennas developed by Ericsson, the active antennas are placed behind the passive antennas.
The compact antenna supports low- to mid-band frequencies, ensuring high coverage and capacity required for urban areas. Additionally, the antenna delivers data rates of over 1 gigabit per second in a relatively small area, enabling 5G coverage of up to a 1 kilometer radius.
Technical information
Ericsson’s Interleaved AIR 3218 combines antenna-integrated radio and multi-band passive antenna technology in a single solution, adding high-performance 5G capacity without increasing the site footprint. The Interleaved AIR 3218 supports frequencies from 700MHz to 3.5GHz, enabling Vodafone to expand coverage and capacity using FDD uplinks and TDD downlinks.
Tanya Richter
This means less space is needed for antenna towers to deploy more 5G in urban areas. Innovations like this will help accelerate the rollout of 5G in Germany, helping to keep up with data traffic that is growing by more than 30 percent per year.
Tanya Richter, head of technology at Vodafone
Strong winds exert pressure on roof-mounted antenna surfaces. The more mobile phone antennas there are on a roof, the higher the wind pressure. This also increases the demands on wind resistance and statics, so so far not all existing rooftop locations have been able to be upgraded with active 5G antennas.
Daniel Leimbach, Head of Customer Division West, Ericsson
The use of compact active and passive antennas will enable improved mobile broadband experiences in cities in the future. Ericsson’s Interleaved AIR 3218 will greatly simplify site upgrades and accelerate 5G rollout in areas previously limited by building regulations, zoning laws or structural reasons.
