German telecommunications provider Telekom Deutschland announced that it has significantly expanded its fiber infrastructure and 5G network coverage over the past year. In an end-of-year update on December 21, 2023, Telekom said it has fulfilled its plans for fiber rollout in 2023, reaching around 730,000 kilometres of optic infrastructure and ensuring 5G coverage for 96 percent of the population.
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Fiber Infrastructure
Telekom has expanded its fiber infrastructure in almost 3,500 cities and municipalities, providing a total of eight million households with the ability to book a fiber connection. The company also mentioned that it has connected 3,000 commercial areas to the fiber network. Additionally, Telekom plans to continue expanding its fiber network in 2024, aiming to enable more than 2.5 million new households with fiber connectivity.
In 2023, Telekom's fixed network witnessed a 14 percent increase in data traffic, with top download usage in YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime, iCloud, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Teams for upload usage.
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Mobile Network
The company reported that its mobile network carried over 2,700 petabytes of data in 2023, a significant increase from the previous year.
Just before the holiday season, Telekom expanded mobile network coverage at 904 locations in the past four weeks, including 147 newly built locations with LTE and 5G frequencies. Capacity was also increased at 757 existing locations.
Telekom's 5G network already covers 96 percent of the German population, boasting over 80,000 5G antennas, with more than 10,000 antennas radiating on the 3.6 GHz band in over 800 cities and municipalities. This network delivers download speeds of up to 1 Gbps. The LTE network covers 99 percent of the population, and Telekom has implemented 53 campus networks.
Also Read: Deutsche Telekom Outlines Fiber, Mobile Network, Open RAN Developments; Plans 5G SA Launch in 2024
Telekom Standalone 5G
Telekom announced that it will enable a 5G Standalone (SA) network in 2024. Business customers are already utilising this technology with features such as Network Slicing, as reported by TelecomTalk. Further details can be found in the linked story above.
Network at Special Venues
In 2023, Telekom utilised 226 mobile antennas for special coverage at events and festivals, ensuring good connectivity at most venues. The company highlighted its in-house development and usage of a new mobile antenna setup called "Micro Container," which can be set up in less than an hour and supports LTE and 5G.
