German telecommunications provider Telekom Deutschland has announced that it has significantly expanded its fiber optic infrastructure and 5G network coverage over the past year. In its year-end update on December 21, 2023, the telecom said it has achieved its 2023 fiber deployment plan, reaching approximately 730,000 kilometers of optical infrastructure and ensuring 5G coverage to 96 percent of the population. .
Also read: SK Telecom and Deutsche Telekom jointly develop dedicated telecom LLM
fiber infrastructure
Telekom has expanded its fiber optic infrastructure in around 3,500 cities and municipalities, making fiber connectivity available for reservation to a total of 8 million households. The company also noted that it has connected 3,000 commercial areas to its fiber network. Additionally, Telecom aims to continue expanding its fiber network in 2024 and provide fiber connectivity to more than 2.5 million new households.
In 2023, Telekom’s fixed network saw a 14% increase in data traffic, with YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime, iCloud, and Google Cloud leading the way in download usage and Microsoft Teams in upload usage.
Also read: Deutsche Telekom and Mavenir announce advances in 5G SA network slicing services
mobile network
The company reported that the amount of data transmitted on mobile networks in 2023 will exceed 2,700 petabytes, a significant increase from the previous year.
Just before the holiday season, Telekom expanded its mobile network coverage to 904 locations over the past four weeks. This includes 147 new locations with LTE and 5G frequencies. Production capacity has also been increased at existing 757 locations.
Telekom’s 5G network already covers 96% of Germany’s population and boasts more than 80,000 5G antennas, with more than 10,000 antennas radiating in the 3.6 GHz band in more than 800 cities and municipalities. This network delivers download speeds of up to 1 Gbps. The LTE network covers 99% of the population and Telekom has implemented 53 campus networks.
Also read: Deutsche Telekom presents overview of fiber, mobile networks and open RAN developments. Plans to launch 5G SA in 2024
Telecom Standalone 5G
Telekom has announced that it will deliver a 5G standalone (SA) network in 2024. TelecomTalk reports that enterprise customers are already utilizing this technology with features such as network slicing. For more information, please see the story linked above.
Networking at a special venue
In 2023, Telekom utilized 226 mobile antennas for special broadcasts of events and festivals, ensuring good connectivity in most venues. The company highlighted its in-house development and use of a new mobile antenna setup called “Micro Container” that can be set up within an hour and supports LTE and 5G.
