Vodafone: Real 5G for almost everyone
They call it "5G+": Vodafone is bringing "real" 5G to many more antenna locations. O2 is already ready, and Telekom will follow suit in the fall.
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Vodafone is converting its 5G network to "5G Standalone" (5G SA) on a large scale. This means that data from the 5G antennas also runs via an independent 5G core network and no longer via the LTE network. The company announced on Tuesday that around 10,000 additional mobile stations have now been activated in the network for this purpose. This means that 16,000 of the total of around 26,0000 mobile stations in the Vodafone network are now equipped with 5G SA.
Fast, faster, standalone
For users with a suitable smartphone, 5G Standalone promises higher data rates and shorter signal propagation times. "For cell phone users, this increases the quality of online games and virtual worlds," says Vodafone's Head of Germany Marcel de Groot, citing possible applications.
For the introduction of 5G, many network operators have opted for mixed operation with the existing LTE network. The cell phones log into the 5G network on the radio side, but in the background the connections still run via the old core network. This mixed operation continues in parallel with the expansion of 5G SA.
Strictly speaking, "real" 5G is only achieved with 5G Standalone because all communication runs via the 5G network. Vodafone and others now like to talk about "5G+" to reflect the technical progress in marketing. Vodafone had already put the first antennas with 5G SA into operation in 2021.
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With 16,000 out of a total of 26,000 mobile stations, Vodafone says it now reaches 90% of people in Germany with 5G standalone. Mobile customers can activate "5G+" free of charge in the app, for example. Most of the latest generation of top-of-the-range smartphones are capable of 5G SA and also switching calls via the 5G network.
High bandwidths
With 5G Standalone, high bandwidths can be achieved by bundling frequency bands. Telefónica Deutschland recently realized more than 1.7 Gbit/s bandwidth in a test with the bundling of spectrum at 700, 1800, 2100 MHz and 3600 MHz and a standard Samsung smartphone.
5G standalone is also already widely available in the O2 network as "5G+". Customers can book a free option for this. Deutsche Telekom wants to follow suit this year with 5G Standalone, most recently "in the fall". The newcomer among the network operators, 1&1, is building a pure 5G network and can also fall back on a roaming agreement with Vodafone.
(vbr)