German carrier Vodafone announced the start of the deployment of 5G Standalone (SA) technology in the city of Munich, the company said in a release.
Vodafone will initially use the existing mobile communications infrastructure to a large extent and, wherever possible, says it is putting its antennas for 5G and 5G SA into operation at the existing 121 mobile communications sites in Munich. The already existing mobile radio stations are being upgraded by installing additional 5G and 5G SA technology, for example on masts, observation towers, church towers and on the roofs of town halls, office buildings and residential buildings.
Currently, 49 locations in the Munich area are already equipped with 5G technology, while a further 21 5G construction projects to be implemented locally by mid-2023.
Vodafone recently said that its 5G Standalone network is currently available to nearly 10 million people in Germany.
Vodafone also said that 5G SA will be activated across the company’s 5G footprint, reaching nationwide coverage by 2025.
The company also said that its 5G network already reaches 45 million people across the country, and it expects its 5G network to be available to 60 million people by 2023.
Last year, Vodafone Germany launched its 5G Standalone (SA) network in partnership with Ericsson, Nokia, Qualcomm and OPPO.
For the 5G expansion, Vodafone is relying on frequencies in the 3.6 GHz, 1.8 GHz and 700 MHz bands in large urban areas, residential areas and suburbs, and rural areas across Germany.
Vodafone previously said that it was installing new 5G antennas from technology partner Ericsson in its 5G network, which transmit data in a significantly more energy-efficient manner. In comparison to previous antenna technology, around 40% energy can be saved in the transmission of data. Vodafone has been testing 150 of these 5G antennas and aimed to convert 900 5G antennas to this energy-saving technology by the end of the current financial year.
Vodafone initially launched its 5G network in Germany in 2019, on 3.5 GHz frequencies that it acquired from Telefónica in 2018.
With its 4G network, Vodafone reaches more than 99% of all households in Germany. Vodafone’s NB-IoT network also covers almost 97% of Germany.
Source: https://www.rcrwireless.com/20220720/5g/vodafone-kicks-off-5g-sa-deployment-munich