1&1 noted that the first 5G antennas went into operation in Frankfurt and Karlsruhe
German carrier 1&1 announced in a press release that it has launched 5G services with fixed wireless access (FWA).
The first antennas to provide 5G FWA have been put into operation in Frankfurt and Karlsruhe. The network will be expanded in stages and 1&1 5G home broadband will be available in other regions in the coming weeks, the carrier said.
The new service, called ‘5G at home’, replaces traditional DSL, fiber optic or cable internet connections and is now available in the first regions.
1&1 initially announced that it would offer three different packages priced between 20 and 40 euros. All pricing plans offer up to 500 Mbit/s for downloads and 40 Mbit/s for uploads.
In an interview with German newspaper Die Welt, Ralf Domarmuth, CEO of 1&1’s parent company United Internet, said the telco’s mobile network will initially offer 5G fixed wireless access services. He said 5G mobile services will be available to smartphone users around mid-2023.
As part of the commitments contained in the license the carrier received in 2019 to provide mobile services, 1&1 is required to deploy at least 1,000 base stations this year. As part of these commitments, the 1&1 network must reach at least 25% of German households by the end of 2025 and at least 50% by the end of 2030.
Domamus also said the new network would be profitable within a few years.
In August 2022, 1&1 announced that it had completed the first live test on its new 5G network. 1&1 announced that in testing, it achieved speeds of over 1Gbps and stable data transfer of approximately 8 terabytes per customer within 24 hours.
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.
Last month, 1&1 Towers, a subsidiary of 1&1 AG, and Eubanet signed an agreement to acquire up to 7,500 new 5G antenna sites.
