Telefónica Deutschland (O2 Germany) recently announced that it will launch 5G standalone (SA) operation this summer.
With that, the O2 Germany network will offer gigabit speeds, enable applications to communicate in real time with low latency times of just a few milliseconds, and introduce innovative services such as network slicing.
One of many building blocks on the way to 5G standalone operation where it will operate without a 4G infrastructure, is the bundling of frequencies. O2 Germany was the first network operator in Germany to bundle several mobile frequencies in its 5G network at the innovation site in Munich back in April. This accelerates 5G for O2 Germany customers and ensures a stable high data throughput.
Carrier aggregation will open up a whole new customer experience, especially for data-intensive applications on O2 Germany's 5G network. For example, gamers will be able to play mobile games online in near real time on the future 5G SA network, while other users stream high-definition videos at the same time and in the same place, or local businesses will be able to use the 5G network for their digital processes.
O2 Germany currently uses only frequencies at 3600 MHz for the 5G network. While low frequencies at 700 MHz are well suited for 5G coverage in rural areas, frequencies at 3600 MHz support very data-intensive applications over short distances and coverage inside buildings. Additional frequencies will be added in the future at 700 MHz and 1800 MHz.
Mallik Rao, CTIO of Telefónica Deutschland / O2
We are continuously working on the further development of 5G in order to be able to offer our customers the full potential of 5G as quickly as possible. In this context, carrier aggregation is an important step that we have taken as the first network operator in Germany.
