1&1 has announced that it plans to launch its first mobile phone tariffs in December 2023. Initially, where there is no dedicated coverage during the rollout phase of the new 1&1 mobile network, 4G-based services will be provided via a national roaming agreement with Telefonica Deutschland. 1&1 notes, however, that from 1 July 2024 it will then be technically possible for Vodafone Germany to provide 5G roaming, allowing it to provide 5G network access to customers.be able to offer marketable rates in the transitional period between the launch of 4G-based mobile services (with Telefonica roaming) at the end of the year and the planned provision of 5G roaming (by Vodafone) from summer 2024, 1&1 will provide new 5G customers with transitional tariffs based on 5G MVNO wholesale services from Vodafone. 4G tariffs will be produced by 1&1 itself on its network, using Telefonica’s national roaming.

The prerequisite for this simultaneous provision of tariffs based on 5G MVNO wholesale services and 4G services in the 1&1 network, which is planned on a transitional basis, is the extension of the parallel sales permitted by the Federal Network Agency (FNA) until the end of 2023. The regulator’s decision in this regard is now expected in November 2023. 1&1 said it will now await this decision and offer mobile 4G services on its own network from December 2023 (previously planned for September), as well as 5G tariffs on the basis of Vodafone MVNO wholesale services on a transitional basis until summer 2024.

‘We have been campaigning for several years to also get the usual 5G standard for national roaming. Unfortunately, this was not possible within the framework of the Telefonica roaming contract. Now we are launching our mobile services in December in the first step with 4G and offering new customers 5G rates on a transitional basis in the proven MVNO business model,’ said Ralph Dommermuth, CEO of 1&1, adding: ‘From next summer, we will then have 5G available in the new national roaming with Vodafone and, in parallel, will activate the mobile 5G functions in our network. At this time, we are discontinuing the parallel marketing of 5G MVNO tariffs.’