Telefónica Deutschland uses high-performance fibre-optic infrastructure from GasLINE

Telefónica Deutschland is having more than 1,500 mobile base stations connected to GasLINE’s high-performance network infrastructure in order to prepare it for the future technology 5G and for new digital applications. The two companies have already been cooperating successfully for several years on fibre-optic connections for mobile base stations and in the backbone field, and they have now signed a contract for another extensive expansion programme. Telefónica Deutschland is currently massively advancing the expansion of its network. By connecting additional mobile base stations to fibre-optic cables, the fastest transmission medium, the new O₂ network is being prepared for the increasing requirements of future mobile data usage. These include considerably higher capacities and data rates as well as extremely low latency, which will directly improve the customers’ network experience.

“With our fibre-optic partnerships, we are already paving the way for the O₂ network of the future. We are preparing our network for rapidly growing mobile data usage, modern high-speed applications and new business areas,” says Cayetano Carbajo Martín, Management Board member and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Telefónica Deutschland. “In GasLINE, we have an ideal partner supporting us with a nationwide fibre-optic network. Together, we will provide a significant portion of our mobile base stations in urban and rural areas with high-performance fibre-optic connections and thus prepare them for future applications.” “We are delighted to continue our successful partnership with Telefónica Deutschland with this extensive expansion programme and also to support the mobile provider’s expansion of its 5G network with our backbone,” says Wolfram Rinner, Managing Director of GasLINE GmbH & Co. KG. “Our nationwide fibre-optic network is the ideal platform for future-proof broadband provision. It provides our cooperation partners with reliable, high-performance fibre-optic cable infrastructure.”

On behalf of Telefónica Deutschland, GasLINE will connect at least 1,500 of the network operator’s mobile base stations with fibre-optic infrastructure in the coming years. The technical connection will be established between the respective base station on-site and the closest central hub in the o2 mobile network (mobile backhaul). Telefónica Deutschland will lease the connections on a long-term basis. GasLINE will support its cooperation partner Telefónica Deutschland with the planning of the desired network expansion to connect the 5G mobile communication locations. The company is one of the highest-performing fibre-optic infrastructure providers on the German telecommunications market. It has a nationwide network of more than 25,000 kilometres, which is to be expanded by another 4,000 kilometres by 2020. Most of the fibre-optic lines are laid in protective strips in the gas pipelines, which provides a high level of reliability.

Telefónica Deutschland is relying on successful partnerships for its fibre-optic strategy: In order to position itself as broadly as possible and accelerate the expansion of fibre-optic connections for its mobile base stations, the company is working together with several alternative telecommunications service providers as well as with other network operators. With the help of these fibre-optic partnerships, Telefónica Deutschland is gradually moving closer to its goal of equipping the majority of its mobile base stations with high-performance fibre-optic connections. The company is thereby ensuring the future viability and performance of the o2 mobile network on a long-term basis. In addition, the network is undergoing a fundamental transformation and modernisation process on the company’s path to becoming the “Mobile Customer & Digital Champion” by 2022. Telefónica Deutschland is already in talks with additional potential partners to connect more mobile communication locations with fibre-optic cables.