DT whacks up some 5G antennas in Berlin

German operator Deutsche Telekom has continued its crusade to claim 5G firsts by implanting some commercial 5G antennas in the middle of Berlin.

The six antennas – three in Leipziger Straße and three in Winterfeldtstraße and collectively referred to as a ‘cluster’ – are said to be compatible with 5G NR, and ready to rock once all the other 5G pieces fall into place. Nonetheless DT is already claiming this as a first European 5G data connection over a live network.

“We’re continuing on our strong preparation course for the rollout of 5G in 2020,” said Claudia Nemat, DT 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.”

“5G New Radio in Berlin is another major step towards 5G for all”, said Walter Goldenits, CTO 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.”

The transmissions are using the 3.7 GHz band under a testing license. Huawei is the equipment partner and this seems to be a big deal for DT because they’ve done a video about it and everything. For a deeper dive into this check out Iain Morris’s take on it at Light Reading here.