30.07.2021
Innovative radio cell:O2 and Mainova turn Frankfurter street light into a 5G HotSpot
Hesse's first smart 5G street light in operation in the mobile network of Telefónica Deutschland / O2
Telefónica Deutschland / O2, in cooperation with the energy provider Mainova, has put Hesse's first smart 5G street light into operation in Frankfurt am Main. It reliably supplies its surroundings with 5G throughout the day and also provides light during the hours of darkness using highly efficient LED technology. Thanks to the innovative street light, O2 customers within a radius of about 250 metres around Gutleutstraße 280 will receive excellent coverage with the new and fast 5G standard - in addition to the existing 2G/3G/4G mobile coverage. As a first step, O2 customers will benefit from higher and more stable speeds for all data-intensive applications in the O2 mobile network. In the future, real-time applications such as connected driving can also be realised with 5G at such locations.
Mallik Rao
"On the way to our 5G full coverage of the population by the end of 2025, we are investing massively in network expansion throughout Germany. In doing so, we are also focusing on innovative initiatives and solution approaches that accelerate the targeted roll-out of 5G in Germany," says Mallik Rao, CTIO of Telefónica Deutschland / O2. "The first 5G street light in Frankfurt am Main is a smart approach that sensibly combines two infrastructures that are needed in urban environments anyway and makes efficient use of the scarce space in densely built-up areas.“
Street light is connected to fibre optic network
The smart 5G street light is connected to the Frankfurt fibre optic and SRM lighting network.
In cooperation with the energy provider Mainova and its subsidiary SRM Straßenbeleuchtung Rhein-Main, O2 can now offer fast 5G mobile communications to even more people in Frankfurt with the selective coverage. The prerequisite for use is a 5G-capable smartphone with a corresponding SIM card.
Thomas Erfert, Managing Director of Mainova subsidiary SRM Straßenbeleuchtung Rhein-Main, says: "We have been a reliable partner for the people of Frankfurt for many years and look after the street lighting network of the Main metropolis. Our more than 70,000 street lights on around 55,000 masts ensure safe lighting in the city every day. Now we are delighted with our new addition, which bundles lighting and mobile communications. This first-time solution, which we developed together with our partner G&G Stadtsysteme and are now implementing with Telefónica Deutschland / O2, is innovative technology in the best sense."
It carries the active antennas needed for 5G coverage in its head at a height of about ten metres and is connected to the Frankfurt fibre optic and SRM lighting network.
5G enables applications in real time
O2 has been massively expanding the 5G network in Germany since October 2020, including in Frankfurt am Main.
O2 has been massively expanding the 5G network in Germany since October 2020, including in Frankfurt am Main. Telefónica Deutschland / O2 will cover 30 percent of the population nationwide with 5G by the end of the year, 50 percent by the end of 2022 and the entire population by the end of 2025.
From next summer, O2 will additionally start with a pure 5G operation, the so-called "5G Standalone" network. 5G will then enable ultra-short response times of a few milliseconds. This will allow the full potential of the technology to be exploited for applications such as connected driving in real time or augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR).
Further information on 5G:
https://www.telefonica.de/5g (in German)
Further information on Mainova and street lighting:
https://www.mainova.de/de/ and
https://www.srm-rheinmain.de/de