Telefonica Germany said it activated its first small cells network with Open RAN technology, in Munich. The technology is expected to help the company increase 5G/4G capacities over the O2 network at high-traffic locations in urban areas, faster than before. This means that customers will have more capacity and higher bandwidths at crowded places. The new technology provides customers with 4G speeds up to 100 Mbps.
The small cells network required a fibre connection. In Munich, Telefonica partnered with local utility company Stadtwerke Muenchen and operator M-net to connect the cells to fibre. The mini radio cells have been placed on the building facade of the Klenzestrasse, in Munich's Gaertnerplatz neighbourhood, and will supplement the 4G/5G mobile network installed on roofs in the inner city area.
Over the next few weeks, Telefonica will install more small cells in downtown Munich. Rollout will start with two 4G radios on Gaertnerplatz and will later expand to the installation of pure 5G Open RAN small cells (5G standalone) in the Bavarian capital. The company may use the existing infrastructure of Stadtwerke Munchen to support the deployment. The project in Munich will be replicated in other large cities in Germany.
