5G for Germany - faster, for more people

By mid-July, 50% of the German population will already have access to our 5G network. In large and small cities. And in the countryside.

The performance enhancements coming with 5G

After 2G, 3G and 4G, 5G stands for the 5th generation in mobile communications. 5G is not a new, independent network, but a gradual expansion of existing mobile networks. After its launch in the 1990s, 2G enabled mobile voice telephony and text messaging. With 3G, the mobile internet first found its way into our pockets during the 2000s. In the last 10 years, 4G enabled mobile broadband communication and powerful video streaming for the first time.

What about 5G? The technology does not only provide much higher download and upload rates, but also raises the bar for other key performance parameters.

A few illustrative examples: The download of an HD video of 4.5 GB size would take a little more than 2 days on a 2G network (EDGE). In a 3G network, still more than 15 minutes. In 4G, we are already down to just over half a minute. And with 5G, only 3 to 4 seconds are needed. A similar increase in performance kicks in concerning reaction times of the network, the latency. A low latency is required for high-precision automatic control of robots and vehicles, e.g., in a campus networks, or for realistic "augmented reality" applications. The average latency in 4G networks today is about 50 milliseconds. In perspective, 5G will achieve 1-10 milliseconds. This may sound abstract. How about a comparison to table tennis, the fastest rebound sport in the world? The best players have a reaction time of 0.2 seconds - that corresponds to 200 milliseconds.

In addition, 5G is about the massive networking of things, the much-cited "Internet of Things" (IoT). To multiply the number of devices connected to the web, a specific technical property of 5G is essential: a very high areal density. Thus, the new mobile standard allows up to one million connections per square kilometer.

5G and the "killer applications"

Today, we know what the successful applications of previous generations of mobile communications were and are. This was not the case when they were introduced. When mobile telephony came up, nobody could initially imagine that only a few years later most people would have mobile phones. When 3G was introduced in 2004, no one pictured that a few years later the iPhone would revolutionize the use of the web and that we would all carry the internet in our pockets.

5G sets out to enable completely new worlds of experience: For entertainment, education, location-independent working or digitally designed and then fully automated factories.

This is made possible by the perfect (because almost latency-free) fusion of our physical reality with virtual worlds, or realities in other places (called “Mixed” or “Augmented Realities”). New formats and interfaces (e.g. speech in combination with everyday enhanced glasses) will experience an innovative boost. The low latency of 5G will also stimulate cloud gaming in mobile application scenarios.

However, probably the most relevant field of application in the short term, will be realized in the industrial sector: 5G enables "Industry 4.0", i.e. the comprehensive digitalization of industrial production. The buildout of industry-grade networks at production sites, called campus networks, has started already. Tailormade technical features for those environments are high availability, security, low latency and high device density. For example, to precisely control "AGVs" (autonomous guided vehicles), which transport materials and finished goods, on the campus.

Finally, 5G could provide an alternative to fiber connections in buildings by using repeater technology. Such devices amplify the mobile radio signal so that shops, restaurants or homes can receive optimal 4G/5G connectivity. Deutsche Telekom is currently testing the use of 4G/ 5G dual mode repeaters in a pilot project.

How mobile networks work      

Mobile networks are based on a digital, hierarchical network structure. In simplified terms, such a network is composed of the core network on the one hand, and the access network on the other hand. The core network consists of few components with central, overarching tasks. It includes transfer points for the connection to the internet. The radio-based access network contains many base stations (approximately 30,000 at Deutsche Telekom in Germany), which enable the connection to the terminal devices used by the customers, such as smartphones or networked sensors. The antennas at the base stations set up radio cells, in which the mobile terminals are registered. The connection between the core and access networks is created by transmission lines: the transport network. An additional control and monitoring network ensures the reliable operation of these components of the mobile radio network.

What puts Deutsche Telekom in a position to provide 5G so fast for Germany?

Deutsche Telekom has significant capacity in the mid-band spectrum, especially in the lower mid-band (1-2.6 GHz). This puts us into a position to provide higher speeds quickly nationwide with very good population coverage. However, this spectrum was not available for 5G until now. In Germany, we have recently started to use a new technical innovation in our networks, known as "Dynamic Spectrum Sharing" (DSS). This allows 4G and 5G technology to be used in a single antenna cell in the same spectrum as required. Deutsche Telekom was the first mobile communications provider worldwide to test DSS in a laboratory environment. Now we are one of the first worldwide to use it commercially. As part of this technology leadership, we are rededicating part of the attractive mid-band spectrum, which was previously used for 3G at 2.1 GHz, complement it with acquired spectrum, and are utilizing 4G and 5G technology on this spectrum band. Customers with 5G smartphones will thus receive extended 5G coverage faster. Customers without 5G smartphones will get better 4G coverage and more speed. And customers with a contract or device without any 5G or 4G support can still use the 3G network. With this innovative technology, we are making 5G use possible for 50% of the German population as early as mid-July, as mentioned above. In addition, we will use our 3.6 GHz spectrum for 5G to achieve the highest speeds, especially in cities - in 22 cities by the end of the year.

That is how we offer the best customer experience, even faster, for more and more people. And at the same time, we are working hard to close any remaining dead spots in the network. Because we won‘t stop until everyone is connected.