The first 5G antennas in Europe to fully support the new communications standard are now operating, in real-world conditions, in Deutsche Telekom’s network in downtown Berlin.
The antennas, in three cells located in Leipziger Straße and three in Winterfeldtstraße, are based on 5G New Radio (5G NR) – the mobile component of 5G.
With this technical setup, Deutsche Telekom has successfully demonstrated Europe’s first 5G data connection over a live network.
Currently, the Group is deploying an entire 5G cluster in the heart of Berlin.
“We’re continuing on our strong preparation course for the rollout of 5G in 2020,” said Claudia Nemat, Deutsche Telekom Board member for Technology and Innovation.
“Today, right in the heart of Berlin, we’re taking the next decisive step – with the successful integration of commercial 5G technology into our network.
“We want to ensure that 5G is going to deliver on its promise of enhanced mobility, high speed and low latency.”
Deutsche Telekom’s 5G cluster in downtown Berlin is initially spanning an area of up to five kilometers wide.
The first six commercial antennas are now installed in sites in Berlin’s Mitte and Schöneberg districts for test operations.
An additional 70 cells are to be installed by the summer of this year, across a total of more than 20 sites. The result will be a major 5G testbed right in the centre of Germany’s capital.
“5G New Radio in Berlin is another major step towards 5G for all,” explained Walter Goldenits, chief technology officer at Telekom Deutschland.
“This 5G cluster in Berlin will serve as the basis for our future commercial 5G rollout in Germany. The antennas are providing important test results.
“At the same time, they are real elements of what will be our future 5G network. We are preparing the ground so that our network will be ready when the first 5G-capable smartphones appear on the market.”
Currently, the antennas are using frequencies in the 3.7 GHz spectrum band under a testing license. In general, the 3-GHz band is one of the spectrum bands in focus for 5G initial deployments.
Germany’s Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency for Electricity, Gas, Telecommunications, Post and Railway) is responsible for 5G spectrum license allocation and related planning in Germany.
For the pre-commercial set up in the centre of Berlin, 5G equipment is integrated into the live network infrastructure, meaning it is interacting with Deutsche Telekom’s 4G spectrum in Germany.
This will enable the interconnection and field testing of future 5G services under real-world conditions.
The mobile communications component for 5G was standardised in December 2017.
The type of antenna elements used in the rollout – Massive MIMO 5G antennas – greatly improve coverage precision for each individual user.
To accelerate the development of new 5G applications, Deutsche Telekom working in cooperation with its Berlin-based hub:raum start-up incubator, has launched the 5GPrototyping Program.
Another relevant program, focused on low latency, is already successfully underway. Both programs are geared towards innovative application developers seeking to exploit the advantages of Edge Computing and 5G network performance.
These developers will have the opportunity to verify their ideas on a live environment in the 5G cluster in Berlin.
At this year’s Mobile World Congress exhibition in Barcelona, Deutsche Telekom announced plans to test a 5G-based system for intelligent management of energy grids.
The smart grid testbed is currently being set up in Dresden. In addition, Deutsche Telekom has established MobiledgeX, a new subsidiary that aims to tap into the potential of Edge Computing and extremely low latencies.