After the 3G shutdown at the end of June this year for all three major network operators, the same question arises for 2G. Deutsche Telekom would like the frequencies for 4G and, above all, 5G, but initially sees a need to maintain 2G. 5G standalone could start this year, but no later than 2022.
“Frequencies are a rare commodity,” said Walter Goldenits, Managing Director Technologie Telekom Deutschland, during a question-and-answer session in which questions from the network were answered. The 3G shutdown around two months ago ensured that these frequencies can now be used for 4G and 5G. Deutsche Telekom would prefer to take the same step with 2G, but it is still too early for that. “We would like to use the frequencies for 4G and 5G, especially for 5G.”
2G for pure telephone calls and roaming
At the moment, however, there are still too many people who only have a 2G cell phone for making calls. In addition, the 2G network will still be active for roaming guests who are not yet on the move with 4G and 5G. 2G will remain a “very valuable and necessary service” for “some time to come”, although the course for the future has been set for 5G with a supplement by 4G. “Because that's where things are going,” says Goldenits.
5G SA should start by 2022 at the latest
On the opposite side of the 5G network, Deutsche Telekom wants to launch 5G standalone (5G SA), i.e. the independent 5G network with a new core network, in the next step. So far, the network operator has not commented specifically on this, but now it is said that the start could take place this year, provided there are the first use cases. If this is not yet the case, the starting shot will be given “by 2022 at the latest”. One use case could be Voice over New Radio (VoNR), i.e. telephoning over 5G, for which the LTE anchor is currently still used. The initial difficulties of the predecessor VoLTE should not be repeated. “In my opinion, that will work smoothly.”
At Vodafone, 5G SA is already active and should bring advantages in terms of latency, energy consumption and range, because an LTE anchor is no longer required. Network slicing also allows logical networks within the physical network in order to be able to offer guaranteed services. Purely in terms of the downlink, 5G SA without LTE anchor is a little slower than 5G non-standalone (5G NSA), but in future the amalgamation of several frequency blocks (carrier aggregation) should eliminate this disadvantage.
5G carrier aggregation planned over a wide area
Carrier aggregation is also the keyword for optimizations in Telekom's current 5G network. When asked why the new spectrum at 3.6 GHz was no longer being expanded, Goldenits said that “the deployment of these frequencies with even more locations in urban areas would take time”. In order to increase the customer experience, more bands are to be aggregated for 5G in the future. “It starts with 900 MHz, with 800 MHz, in the future also with 700 MHz, with 1.8 GHz, with 2.1 GHz, with 2.6 GHz – and with 3.6 GHz, wherever we have it.” With this combination, speeds beyond 1 Gbit/s should be possible in the future.
More LTE at 800 and 900 MHz
But the LTE network is not over yet either. Telekom is currently using 4G at 1.5 GHz for fixed network reinforcement with mobile communications for hybrid contracts with corresponding routers. “I think there will be more to come,” said Goldenits. Goldenits referred to 30 MHz for LTE at 1.8 GHz as the “capacity backbone” in the cities, but in addition to LTE at 900 MHz, which was “almost completely rolled out” on mobile radio stations, they also wanted to bring more LTE at 800 MHz.
DSL not more expensive and more FTTH
On the subject of fixed-line Internet, Goldenits said that the impression that Telekom's DSL tariffs are often higher-priced, especially compared to cable Internet, is incorrect due to a lack of transparency. “Part of why this transparency is not the same, for example, is that the TV supply for the cable is included in the apartment rent, in the ancillary costs, and is therefore not shown completely transparently. And that definitely makes the difference. ”
The expansion in the fixed network, especially with fiber optics, should also be accelerated by laying at shallower depths. The willingness of the municipalities to accept alternative laying methods is increasing massively. The trenching, in which only a narrow channel is milled into the surface, is still a little behind, however. Regarding the FTTH expansion, Goldenits said that after the more than 500,000 houses with new fiber optic coverage last year, more than a million new households will be added this year. “That is more than Deutsche Glasfaser has built in the last three or four years. In other words, I cannot understand why German fiber optics should be the benchmark. ”Deutsche Telekom wants to create FTTH for all households in Germany by 2030.