16.07.2024
5G expansion makes progress:O2 Telefónica achieves 96 percent 5G coverage
Technicians modernize the O2 Telefónica network at Wendelstein
Telecommunications provider O2 Telefónica is continuing its comprehensive network expansion program and now covers 96 per cent of the population with its 5G network. This means that more than 80 million German citizens can now benefit from 5G in their everyday lives. Digital data usage by consumers and companies is experiencing significant growth thanks to the 5G standard.
"5G has changed the way we build mobile networks and use digital applications," explains Mallik Rao, Chief Technology & Information Officer at O2 Telefónica. "It's not just about mobile telephony and data usage. The mobile network is becoming a programmable supercomputer, thanks to cloud technology, artificial intelligence and open interfaces to digital solutions. We should seize the opportunity to give digitalization in Germany a new boost with 5G."
96 per cent 5G coverage within four years
Mallik Rao
It took O2 Telefónica less than four years to expand 5G network coverage from zero to 96 per cent.
"We are expanding 5G faster than any other mobile technology before. Since the launch of 5G, we have been building an average of more than 50 new 5G sites per week. In this way, we are ensuring that our customers benefit from the advantages of modern digital networking - whether in cities, in the countryside or when traveling," explains Mallik Rao.
5G expansion faster than any previous standard
O2 Telefónica pushes ahead with 5G expansion in many rural areas
In October 2020, O2 Telefónica launched its 5G network in the first five German cities. Since then, progress has been rapid: by the end of 2021, the telecommunications provider had already reached a third of the population with 5G, and half by summer 2022. In October 2023, O2 Telefónica cracked the 90 percent mark.
In 2023 alone, O2 Telefónica made a total area of 60,000 square kilometers 5G-capable. That amounts to roughly three times the size of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. In addition, over 14,000 kilometers of roads and railways were supplied with 5G in 2023.
O2 Telefónica is also the only German network operator to date to have activated "5G Standalone” across the entire 5G network. Since October 2023, O2 customers have been able to book a so-called "5G Plus" pack free of charge to use it.
5G use in everyday life on the rise
More and more consumers are using 5G in their everyday lives
Consumers are using 5G more and more frequently. At 5G-capable locations with 3.6 gigahertz, the proportion of 5G use is already 35 per cent. O2 mobile postpaid customers with 5G tariffs and 5G-capable smartphones use an average of 75 per cent more data volume than customers without a 5G device.
5G is driving the digitalization of industry
5G enables wireless networking for numerous applications, for example in industry and logistics
The economy also benefits from 5G: O2 Telefónica is an established partner of the industry - from automotive production to 5G campus networks for factories, data centers and research facilities. In Baden-Württemberg, the use of 5G for the rescue chain is currently being tested on the basis of O2 Telefónica's 5G network, so that everything from the analysis and processing of vital data in ambulances to the use of VR glasses by rescue workers can be carried out digitally.
The next steps for O2 Telefónica: providing the entire population with 5G and preparing for its successor, 6G.
Written by: Florian Streicher
Florian Streicher ist Pressesprecher (Senior Media Relations Manager) für Technologie- und HR-Themen bei O2 Telefónica. Er ist seit 2017 in der Kommunikationsabteilung des Unternehmens tätig, wo er sich um die kommunikativen Schwerpunkte Netzausbau, 5G, IT, Technologie-Innovationen und Personalthemen kümmert. Zuvor war er in der Kommunikationsberatung tätig.