The operator will use dynamic spectrum sharing, using the same antennas to provide 4G and 5G for the first time.
Background: In Germany, 700MHz spectrum was awarded to mobile operators as long ago as 2015. At the time, Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica, and Vodafone each obtained 2x10MHz for 15 years. Licences have been valid since mid-2019, because the 700MHz band has only gradually become available then.
Vodafone introduces 5G in the 700MHz band: On 22 April 2020, Vodafone announced it will start the dynamic spectrum sharing of its 700MHz frequencies, to introduce 5G and reach deeper into rural areas, while still providing 4G coverage with the same spectrum. In this way, 5G will benefit from better coverage, and also have better signal indoors. The operator claims to be the first to activate 5G in this band, and thanks to the new technology the same antennas will be able to serve customers that use 4G devices.
The operator reassures against a forest of antennas: Vodafone noted that, due to the characteristics of 700MHz spectrum, antennas using that band can cover an area of 20 square kilometers – five times the area that a 3.5GHz 5G base station can serve. This removes the risk of a “forest of antennas”. Vodafone already activated more than 8,000 antennas at 2,800 locations for 5G via the 700MHz frequencies this year, bringing the network to an area of more than 60,000 square kilometers. For 2020, the operator targets to cover 10m people with 5G in Germany, and has announced the imminent launch of a new home device (“GigaCube 5G”), which will launch on 2 May 2020 and cost €129.9, with a monthly payment of €10.
