German telecoms company Deutsche Telekom announced that it has successfully enabled more than 2.5 million new fiber connections this year, fully realising its expansion plans. The company invested EUR 2.5 billion in fiber expansion, expanding coverage in almost 3,500 towns and municipalities. According to the announcement, the company projects a total investment of EUR 30 billion in the fiber optic rollout by 2030. The Fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network is set to reach eight million households by the end of the year, with plans to extend this to ten million fiber optic connections by 2024.

5G for All

On the mobile network front, Deutsche Telekom currently provides 5G coverage to 96 percent of the population, serving 80 million people through a network of over 80,000 5G antennas, including 10,000 in the 3.5 GHz band spread across more than 800 cities and municipalities. The network delivers download speeds of up to 1 Gbps. The company aims to achieve 99 percent 5G coverage for the German population by 2025 and plans to launch 5G Standalone (SA) services for private customers in 2024.

5G for Business

The telco highlights that its business customers are already utilising 5G SA technology, incorporating functions like network slicing for live TV transmission or in 5G campus networks, as previously reported by TelecomTalk. In the coming year, 5G SA is expected to bring additional value to all customers.

Open RAN

As reported by TelecomTalk, progress in the open Radio Access Network (ORAN) is also underway, with the first antennas operating in the commercial network since December 2023 in Neubrandenburg.  Nokia and Fujitsu are reportedly supplying the necessary technology components, and Deutsche Telekom plans to have more than 3,000 ORAN-compatible antenna sites by the end of 2026.

Network Optimisation for Euro 2024

For the European Football Championship in 2024 starting on June 14, Deutsche Telekom said it will provide the best network, optimising its mobile network at 430 locations for soccer fans. This includes strengthening more than 13,000 cells in the mobile network. Nine out of ten European Championship stadiums will receive 5G on the 3.6 GHz high-speed frequency. The company plans to lay 50 kilometres of fiber optics, along with providing 600 switches and 1,000 access points in these stadiums.

AI Integration for Network Enhancement

Deutsche Telekom also emphasises the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in network expansion and mobile communications. AI aids in analysing and evaluating cell usage and capacity utilization, with the ongoing development of a large language model for telco-specific applications in collaboration with SK Telekom, as reported by TelecomTalk. Additionally, AI contributes to enhanced network security through automated pattern recognition, according to the company.