5G is on everyone’s lips. It dominated the headlines at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona at the end of February, the German government is calling its campaign “Germany is talking about 5G” and in Europe, the mobile technology is being discussed under the umbrella term “Digital Compass”. The tenor: 5G is on the advance. The goals of the German government and the European Union in terms of 5G are within reach.
The targets are ambitious. The EU plans for all European households to have a gigabit connection by 2030. Germany is even going one step further: according to the federal government’s gigabit strategy, 5G should be available wherever people live, work and travel by 2030. The Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) regularly reviews the current mobile network coverage and came to the conclusion at the end of 2022 that the expansion of the networks has already reached respectable figures. Nevertheless, Germany is still a long way from having seamless, high-performance 4G/5G mobile coverage. Closing unserved areas in particular is one of the biggest challenges in mobile communications. These are areas that will not be developed by the network operators in the foreseeable future. Developing these areas incurs high costs without generating any significant revenue. For this reason, funding programs have been developed by the federal government and some federal states in recent years to provide financial support for expansion.
5G networks are technically superior as stand-alone networks
Importantly, the expansion of digital infrastructure always remains a dynamic process. The UMTS network in Germany was switched off in 2021. Mobile network operators are now pushing ahead with the nationwide expansion of LTE and 5G. 5G technology in particular will be significantly faster, more energy-efficient and more stable than its predecessor technologies, which is why it is also considered a key technology for digitalization. Around 80% of Germany is now covered by 5G (as of October 2022).
As far as the development of the white spots is concerned, the mobile network providers are still facing a major challenge. Telekom, Vodafone and Telefónica have clearly missed their target with regard to the coverage requirement to build 500 base stations in white spots by the end of 2022.
The BNetzA has an overview here, among other things through broadband measurements and the dead spot app. There has been a steady increase in the number of 5G measuring points; in September 2022, this figure was already around 14% and rising. However, 4G is still the dominant technology (approx. 80% of all measuring points). But the combination of the two already counts as a 5G network. The high availability figures of mobile network operators are partly due to Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS). This allows the simultaneous use of 4G and 5G in the same frequency range and is, so to speak, an upgrade of the old 4G infrastructure. A network roll-out in this form is referred to as 5G non-stand-alone (NSA). The opposite is 5G stand-alone. Here, only 5G infrastructure is used, both in radio access network 5 and in core network 6. Only here can the advantages of 5G be fully exploited. This is not possible in the NSA networks. In addition to higher data rates, this also includes lower latency times.
5G enables up to ten times higher data transmission rates, now 10 Gbit/s instead of 1 Gbit/s, requires less energy and can serve significantly more devices per radio cell. However, this depends on the operating modes. However, 5G theoretically has around 1000 times more capacity than its predecessor, meaning it can supply significantly more subscribers and devices via one cell. Thanks to the significantly improved latency time (reduced from 4 ms to 1 ms), applications can be carried out almost in real time. A so-called hard real-time, probably 100 µs, will only be available with 6G, which is already being researched. From 2028, the 6th generation of mobile communications technology should enable the fastest possible communication without any delay. However, 5G already enables completely new scenarios. Many players are researching exactly which ones, some of which are funded by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV ).
5G and fibre optics – major significance for Germany’s digitalization
5G is an important piece of the puzzle for a high-performance infrastructure. This also includes a nationwide fiber optic expansion. Together with it, which incidentally also serves as a backhaul for most mobile communications sites, a stable communications network can be established in Germany. Without this functioning network, the digital transformation of society will not succeed. Politics and business should continue to think about digitalization and bring it together wherever possible. The last few years have proven this: During the many and varied crises, telecommunications has proven to be a pillar of society. During the coronavirus pandemic, it provided support for citizens who had to work from home, enabled video conferencing and the home schooling that had become necessary. Despite rising inflation and construction costs, the telecommunications market is currently in a high investment phase. This will continue for the next few years.
Mobile data volume continues to rise steeply. According to the BNetzA’s annual report, the data volume amounted to 5,457 million Gbytes at the end of 2021. This corresponds to a growth rate of 37% compared to the previous year. Experts assume that the exponential increase will continue. Data-intensive applications such as augmented and virtual reality and autonomous driving in particular are future data drivers. However, smart farming, e-health and intelligent mobility concepts also require seamless and powerful mobile networks – in both urban and rural areas. In addition, there are further demands on network capacities. In order to cope with the data volumes and implement mobile real-time and 5G applications across the board, network densification with spectrum above 1 GHz – including outside urban areas – will be necessary in the medium term. In order to accelerate expansion, it is more important than ever to remove barriers to expansion and identify potential for acceleration. The often lengthy and complex approval procedures and the number of permits required for the construction and connection of mobile phone masts are problematic. Some federal states are taking steps to speed up the expansion. Hesse, for example, has changed its building regulations so that TCUs can expand more quickly. The Online Access Act (OZG) was also passed in 2017 for this purpose. The aim is to offer all administrative services in Germany digitally by the end of 2022 and to enable faster approval procedures. In Hesse, the broadband portal was developed for the application and approval of the laying of telecommunications lines. In January, Germany’s first digital applications for the fiber optic expansion of the cities of Fulda and Lindenfels were approved here.
Of course, targeted support also helps. This must be coordinated and professionally supported. It requires close coordination between municipalities, mobile network operators and TowerCos in order to find solutions. In order to be able to develop unserved areas, municipalities and districts need precise knowledge of the existing mobile network coverage. Precise data is important for this. The collection of coverage and infrastructure data in conjunction with computer-aided forecasts and with the help of a geo-information system forms the basis for closing white spots and planning seamless, high-performance 5G networks.
It remains a challenge to adapt political decision-making processes to the speed of the economy and digitalization. However, this is at the top of the BMDV’s agenda and is set out in the digital strategy. If you are responsible for the 5G expansion in your municipality or district, you can find more information here:
5G – possibilities and requirements in subsidized broadband expansion (Flyer, PDF)
https://atenekom.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/04_5G-Moeglichkeiten191203_PT-workshop-flyer_Breitband_download.pdf
Campus networks based on 5G communication technology – BMWK homepage
https://www.digitale-technologien.de/DT/Navigation/DE/ProgrammeProjekte/AktuelleTechnologieprogramme/5G_Campusnetze/5g_campusnetze.html
aconium article on the topic of 5G
https://atenekom.eu/category/5g/