O2 Telefonica said that the 5G infrastructure combines street lights and cell phone sites

German operator O2 Telefónica, controlled by Spanish telco Telefónica, and compatriot infrastructure provider 5G Synergiewerk have activated what they claim to be the first 5G street light in operation in Würzburg, Bavaria, as part of a pilot project.

The 5G infrastructure combines street lights and cell phone sites, the carrier said.

The aim of this initiative is to use the existing urban infrastructure as efficiently as possible for an improved mobile network and new digital applications, it added.

Matthias Sauder, director of mobile access and transport networks at O2 Telefonica said: “The 5G street lights are an innovative approach to further improve the mobile network in Würzburg. These small radio cells have a big impact. They complement our local O2 mobile network and ensure an improved network experience for our customers when using mobile telephony and data. At the same time, we are creating the basis for digital applications of the future that require higher speeds and additional network capacities.”

Ralf Gerbershagen, managing director of 5G Synergiewerk, said: “We are proud of the first 5G street light in Würzburg and are looking forward to further expansion. The entire project is a good example of what can be achieved when everyone involved pulls together: the Würzburg public utilities, the city of Würzburg, O2 Telefonica and we are a good team and were able to implement the project very quickly.”

The carrier highlighted that the 5G street light offers smartphone users high bandwidths with 5G and 4G/LTE for mobile telephony and data use in the O2 network.

The replacement of the street light was carried out in collaboration with the Würzburg public utilities. 5G Synergiewerk supplied the special intelligent light pole while O2 Telefónica was in charge of the installation of  the energy-efficient 4G/5G mobile communications technology for this pilot.

O2 Telefonica recently said it has already deployed nearly 10,000 5G base stations since it initially launched 5G services back in October 2020.

The operator said it has deployed an average of more than 50 new 5G transmitters every week since the launch of the network. Last year alone, the carrier installed 3,000 5G base stations across the country.

The telco said its 5G network currently reaches 95% of Germany’s population.

In October 2023, O2 Telefonica announced the launch of its 5G Standalone (SA) network in the country under the 5G Plus brand. Until this launch, the German telco had been offering 5G services through the NonStandalone (NSA) 5G architecture partly via its LTE/4G core network.

The carrier’s 5G Plus uses frequencies in the 700 MHz, 1.8 GHz and 3.6 GHz bands. The telco said it expects its 5G SA service to reach full coverage in Germany by the end of 2025.