Communication through technology - Vodafone aims to enhance its 5G mobile network.
Vodafone is looking to extend its 5G mobile network coverage in Germany, as approximately 92% of homes already have access to their 5G antennas. By March 2025, Vodafone Germany's CEO, Marcel de Groot, expects this figure to reach 95%. In addition, they plan to update existing mobile stations with extra capacity.
This expansion comes ahead of the migration of mobile customers from competitor 1&1. Currently, 1&1 has limited antennas of their own, and customers not sufficiently covered by their network are connected to the O2 network. In the summer, 1&1 will start using "national roaming" with Vodafone, which will require transferring the 12 million 1&1 customers onto the Vodafone network. This change will generate additional rental income for Vodafone and increase the use of their network, which served 31 million mobile phone users in Germany.
5G network expansion by other companies:
Both Deutsche Telekom and O2 Telefónica are also stepping up their 5G mobile network expansions. Currently, Deutsche Telekom has a 96% household coverage, while O2 Telefónica has 95%, and they both aim to reach nearly 100% by the end of 2025.
Initially planned for this year, an auction of mobile frequencies was set to take place; however, the Bundesnetzagentur now plans to forgo it and instead extend usage rights by five years. In exchange, the companies must pledge to significantly expand their networks by 2030, with 99.5% of Germany's area receiving at least 50 megabits per second.
Vodafone Germany CEO de Groot views the new plan by the network agency, i.e., abandoning the auction, as a "positive move for mobile phone users in Germany" since the operators would then have extra funds for the expansion. "Each Euro invested in masts instead of license fees is a well-allocated Euro," de Groot remarked.
To achieve the proposed coverage goals in the area, de Groot argues that "policymakers need to speed up the mobile phone expansion across Germany by making it a legal mandate of overriding public interest." It's also evident that if the removal of mobile phone antennas throughout the country is ordered, the proposed coverage goals cannot be met.
De Groot's statement refers to discussions in German politics about removing Chinese components from the German antenna network. Doing so would create challenges for the three established mobile network operators in Germany - Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, and Telefónica O2 - as they all employ the Chinese supplier Huawei in their antenna networks, praising their high quality.
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Vodafone is also expanding its 5G network in Düsseldorf, which is located in North Rhine-Westphalia, aiming to serve more mobile phone users in the region.
1&1 is expected to participate in the national roaming agreement with Vodafone, potentially bringing over 12 million cell phone users to Vodafone's network.
Both German Telekom and Telefónica O2, alongside Vodafone, are among the telecommunications providers in Germany aiming to reach nearly 100% 5G network coverage by 2025.
Due to the delay of the mobile frequencies auction, companies such as Vodafone may have an additional five years to continuously expand their 5G networks across Germany, reaching a goal of 99.5% coverage of at least 50 megabits per second.
Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, and Telefónica O2 all employ the Chinese supplier Huawei in their antenna networks, making discussions about removing Chinese components from the German antenna network a challenge for the leading telecommunications companies in Germany.
As a result of the proposed plan to remove mobile phone antennas throughout the country, achieving the proposed coverage goals may become difficult to achieve.
The new plan by the network agency to abandon the auction and instead extend usage rights has been viewed as positive by Vodafone Germany CEO Marcel de Groot, providing additional funds for the expansion of the network and better services for German mobile phone users.
