DT inches towards the 5G dream

The German telecommunications industry is doing everything it can to dispel the stereotype of German efficiency, but Deutsche Telekom is making progress in the 5G world.

When it comes to the connectivity rankings, the Germans do not generally feature towards the top. This is evident in both mobile, with 4G coverage, and broadband. However, at IFA the management team has been pitching its progress, and in fairness, DT has beaten the majority of telcos to the 5G punch.

5G is now live in Germany, with six cities welcoming the connectivity euphoria. A total of 129 5G antennae are now transmitting the super-speed connectivity, though plans are to have 20 cities on the coverage map by the end of 2020. DT is not moving as quickly as some European rivals, the UK telcos for example, though it is progress.

Berlin’s Mitte district is the largest coherent 5G coverage area in Germany, at around six square kilometres, with 66 5G base stations. Currently, work is being done to increase the coverage footprint in five cities, with single, clustered locations being targeted. It does appear to be a slowly, surely approach to 5G, but few will argue with progress.

However, you have to measure this progress against European counterparts. In the UK, three of the four MNOs have launched 5G services. EE, the first to launch, has promised 15 cities by the end of 2019, claiming to add 100 5G base stations to its network each month. In France, although 5G has not launched, Orange is suggesting it now has 352 5G pilot sites around the country. In Spain, Vodafone launched its 5G services in June with base stations in 15 cities across the country.

There are of course pros and cons to the breadth versus depth conversation, but it is always worth placing some context into the situation.

The claim has been made at the IFA conference in Berlin, where DT has also been plugging its broadband ambitions.

“For the first time in many years, we have succeeded in surpassing the range of cable companies with a bandwidth of 50 Mbps,” said Michael Hagspihl, Head of Consumers at Telekom Deutschland.

Broadband is another area where the Germans have been sluggish compared to European averages. According to the FTTH Council Europe, Germany has a fibre penetration rate of 2.3%, considerably behind the leaders such as Spain, Latvia or Sweden, all of which have penetration rates north of 40%. However, progress is being made once again.

DT is claiming its fibre network is the largest in Germany, measuring over 500,000 km in length. It has said more than 30 million households can now access broadband speeds between 50 Mbps and 250 Mbps, with 1.1 million able to purchase connectivity which exceeds 1 Gbps. These numbers are of course houses passed rather than actual connections, but it is a better position than previous years.

Whether the slowly, surely approach is going to be a winning strategy when the awards are handed out in a few years remains to be seen, though Germany is starting to sort out its own house.