telecommunications
5G in Germany reaches almost the entire population
The 5G network is being used by more and more people in Germany. photo
© Friso Gentsch/dpa
Mobile phone providers in Germany have massively expanded their fifth generation (5G) networks this year. This is also reflected in new usage records.
With the availability of the fast 5G network, the volume of transmitted data is also increasing. Telefónica (O2) maintained its leading position: from January to November 2023 alone, the O2 network transported 4.3 billion gigabytes. Telekom transferred almost 2.7 billion gigabytes in 2023, around ten percent more than in the previous year. 2.4 billion gigabytes of data flowed in the Vodafone network. This corresponds to an increase of 34 percent.
The 5G mobile network is faster than previous network generations (LTE or UMTS). It also has lower latency, meaning the connection is more responsive when accessing websites or apps. This plays a role in online games, for example. 5G also enables a greater number of devices to be connected simultaneously.
Football generates high traffic levels on the networks
Matches in European professional football proved to be important drivers of mobile phone usage this year: the Champions League game between FC Copenhagen and Bayern Munich on October 3rd resulted in this year’s top value on the O2 network. Overall, seven of the ten highest traffic values on the Internet could be traced back to Champions League games with German participation, Telefónica said. The remaining top values were achieved on public holidays and Sundays, when many customers streamed on mobile at prime TV time.
A Champions League game on December 13th also set an annual record for Vodafone: On that day, Borussia Dortmund won the group with a 1-1 draw against Paris Saint-Germain. The least amount of data flowed through the Vodafone network on Easter Sunday 2023. The spring-like interplay of sun and clouds on April 9th probably motivated many people to put their smartphones aside.
Expectations for 2024:
In the coming year, network operators expect increasing demands on the networks due to applications of artificial intelligence (AI). “The applications of digitalization such as AI take place in the cloud,” said Markus Haas, CEO of O2 Telefónica. To use them, you need high data transfer rates and reliable real-time communication. “5G makes this possible for everyone.”
The statistics from the network operators show that the 5G network in Germany is being used by more and more people. Almost twice as much data was transmitted with 5G in the Vodafone network this year as in the previous year. People are using more and more video streams on their smartphones and tablets, said Vodafone network boss Tanja Richter. “They share personal experiences on social networks with photos and, increasingly, with data-intensive moving images.” This was made possible because dead spots were closed, network capacities were expanded and the 5G network was significantly enlarged.