Telekom Germany, Vodafone, Telefonica and Drillisch Netz are the owners of the first 5G frequencies.
The telecommunications companies have reached deep into their pockets to bid for the first 5G frequencies. The Federal Network Agency collected over 6.5 billion euros at the auction. A total of 420 MHz were auctioned (see box). “The end of the auction is also the starting signal for 5G in Germany,” said Jochen Homann, President of the Federal Network Agency in June.
5G networks: German cities first
Now it’s time for the potential users to wait, wait and wait. After all, Vodafone announced in early August that in 20 German cities and municipalities customers can already use 5G. There are 25 stations and 60 5G antennas available. At the same time, users can also use 5G roaming in 35 cities in Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Telekom announced that it would build and commission around 300 5G antennas at more than 100 locations by the end of the year. The beginning make Berlin, Bonn, Darmstadt, Hamburg, Leipzig and Munich. In the next 18 months, the 20 largest cities will be connected. However, Telefonica and Drillisch have not yet specifically announced when they will start.
Only a few 5G terminals available so far
If you want to use the new mobile radio standard, you also need appropriate devices. So far, however, only a few models are available on the market. So far, Samsung and Huawei offer a smartphone for the mobile standard. Telematics providers are not here yet. Since the network is still under construction, it will take a while until appropriate devices for fleet management will be available. That becomes important when a lot of data needs to be transferred quickly.
The companies have bought this:
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Find press release of the Federal Network Agency
