Deutsche Telekom to launch 5G SA for private customers in 2024

Deutsche Telekom said its 5G network currently covers 96% of the German population

Deutsche Telekom (DT) expects to launch its 5G Standalone (5G SA) offering in Germany next year, the telco said in a statement.

In a round-up of its network achievements during this year, Srini Gopalan, CEO of Telekom Deutschland, which is DT’s domestic operator, said the carrier is aiming at offering 5G SA to private customers.

The executive noted that Deutsche Telekom’s business customers are already using the technology with functions such as network slicing for live TV transmission of media or in 5G campus networks for industry and research.

The carrier also highlighted that its 5G network currently covers 96% of the German population. Deutsche Telekom’s 5G network has 80,000 5G antennas, including over 10,000 antennas transmitting on the 3.6 GHz band in more than 800 cities and municipalities across the country.

Gopolan said that DT’s 5G technology is currently offering download speeds of up to 1 Gbps and that the telco expects to reach 99% of the population in Germany with 5G by 2025.

The executive also noted that DT began the deployment of Open RAN (O-RAN) in Germany in December, in collaboration with Nokia and Fujitsu. The telco expects to have 3,000 O-RAN compatible antennas by the end of 2026.

Also, regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI), Deutsche Telekom said it is currently using the technology in network expansion. For example, in network planning with the T-Car to measure and calculate optimal fiber optic expansion routes or in mobile communications, where AI is helping the telco to analyze and evaluate cell usage and capacity utilization. The German operator is currently developing its own large language model for telco-specific applications together with SK Telekom.

Claudia Nemat, board member for technology and innovation at Deutsche Telekom, said: “We want to exploit the enormous opportunities offered by AI without being naive about the risks. We want to educate people about both. And be a technology pioneer at the same time. By developing and using human-centered AI and letting our customers participate in it.”

In August, Deutsche Telekom said it has already connected 83% of all 5G mobile communications locations nationwide with fiber optics.

The telco also said that more than 10,000 5G mobile sites now have fiber optic connections with a speed of 10 Gbits, accounting for around 40% of all 5G mobile radio systems. By 2026, Deutsche Telekom will equip more than 28,000 cell phone sites with  high-speed connections at 10 Gbits.

The telco also highlighted that 5G antennas on the 3.6 GHz frequency are  particularly powerful because they are almost exclusively connected to the transport network with a 10 Gbits connection via fiber optics.

The telco added that the 3.6 GHz frequency band supplements the 5G frequencies in the 700 MHz and 2.1 GHz range, which are already in use nationwide in the Deutsche Telekom network. Especially in densely populated areas, the 3.6 GHz frequencies ensure particularly high download speeds and smooth mobile phone coverage, the carrier said.