Deutsche Telekom Outlines Fiber, Mobile Network, Open RAN Developments; Plans 5G SA Launch in 2024

German telecoms company Deutsche Telekom announced that it has successfully enabled more than 2.5 million new fiber connections this year, fully realising its expansion plans. The company invested EUR 2.5 billion in fiber expansion, expanding coverage in almost 3,500 towns and municipalities. According to the announcement, the company projects a total investment of EUR 30 billion in the fiber optic rollout by 2030. The Fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network is set to reach eight million households by the end of the year, with plans to extend this to ten million fiber optic connections by 2024.

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Also Read: Deutsche Telekom Begins Deployment of Open RAN Network in Germany

5G for All

On the mobile network front, Deutsche Telekom currently provides 5G coverage to 96 percent of the population, serving 80 million people through a network of over 80,000 5G antennas, including 10,000 in the 3.5 GHz band spread across more than 800 cities and municipalities. The network delivers download speeds of up to 1 Gbps. The company aims to achieve 99 percent 5G coverage for the German population by 2025 and plans to launch 5G Standalone (SA) services for private customers in 2024.

5G for Business

The telco highlights that its business customers are already utilising 5G SA technology, incorporating functions like network slicing for live TV transmission or in 5G campus networks, as previously reported by TelecomTalk. In the coming year, 5G SA is expected to bring additional value to all customers.

Also Read: Deutsche Telekom, Mavenir Announce Advancements in 5G SA Network Slicing Service

Open RAN

As reported by TelecomTalk, progress in the open Radio Access Network (ORAN) is also underway, with the first antennas operating in the commercial network since December 2023 in Neubrandenburg. Nokia and Fujitsu are reportedly supplying the necessary technology components, and Deutsche Telekom plans to have more than 3,000 ORAN-compatible antenna sites by the end of 2026.