Milestones in network expansion 2024

Better network coverage and comprehensive 5G coverage are at the top of O2’s priority list. In the first half of 2024, the provider already recorded 3,400 expansion measures. 550 additional mobile phone sites close many white spots in the surrounding towns and villages – including Mengkofen (Hagenau) and Mitterskirchen (Büchel) in Bavaria, Rochau in Saxony-Anhalt and Zinnowitz in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Additional 5G transmitters were added in rural and tourist regions, such as Aurich in East Frisia, Dagebüll in North Frisia, Wiek on Rügen, Bestensee in the Dahme-Spreewald district, Bacharach on the Rhine, Rottleberode in the southern Harz, Bad Hindelang in the Upper Allgäu and St. Johann on the Swabian Alb.

In total, the O2 network has grown by 1,200 5G transmitters since the beginning of the year, including many new stations in major cities such as Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Bremen, Dortmund, Stuttgart, Leipzig and Rostock. The provider also provided the necessary network capacity for major events such as fan miles or festivals. Mobile transmission masts were used, for example, at Rock am Ring, at the Hurricane Festival, at the Wacken Open Air, at the Deichbrand Festival or in the fan zone of Hamburg’s Heiligengeistfeld during the 2024 European Football Championship.

96 percent nationwide 5G

Thanks to the extensive expansion measures in the first half of the year, O2 now supplies 96 percent of the population with its 5G network. This means that the fast mobile communications standard reaches 80 million people. This has an impact on data usage: O2 mobile phone contract customers with 5G-capable devices use an average of 75 percent more data volume than those without 5G-capable devices. Overall, the share of 5G data usage at locations with fast 5G is already 35 percent.

Faster expansion than ever before

O2 needed less than four years to achieve 96 percent 5G network coverage. This means that the expansion is taking place faster than with any mobile communications technology before. Since its launch, O2 has built an average of more than 50 new 5G transmitters per week. In 2023 alone, the provider put 750 new transmission masts into operation and made an area of ​​​​60,000 square kilometers 5G-capable – that’s about three times the size of Rhineland-Palatinate. In addition, the mobile operator supplied over 14,000 kilometers of roads and railways with 5G last year.

In addition, since October 2023, O2 has been the only provider to date to activate the so-called 5G standalone technology in the entire 5G network. This means that the operator only uses the frequencies intended for 5G, which will enable almost real-time communication in the future, offer even higher speeds and improve applications such as virtual or augmented reality as well as mobile gaming.*

Exclusive: Reader event in Hamburg

As Germany’s second-largest city, Hamburg is increasingly the focus of O2 Telefónica’s network expansion. The provider currently supplies the Hanseatic city’s approximately 1.9 million residents with the fast mobile communications standard through more than 300 5G locations. O2 and COMPUTER BILD are inviting five readers to an exclusive 5G event in Hamburg to experience one of the radio masts above the roofs of the port city up close and gain special insights into how the 5G transmission stations work.

But that’s not all: As part of the 5G event, you can look forward to an exciting mobile communications talk with COMPUTER BILD editor-in-chief Dirk General-Kuchel, the head of the telecommunications department Christian Just and an O2 expert. In the panel of experts, you can ask your questions about mobile communications and 5G and exchange ideas about the latest developments. Afterwards, you can enjoy a tour of the COMPUTER BILD editorial office with exclusive insights into the in-house test laboratory.

At the end of the event, as a thank you for your visit, you will receive the high-data 5G tariff O2 Mobile XL for 24 months free of charge. You can read what this includes in the tariff table above.

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Would you like to get to know the editorial team and take part in the 5G event? Here’s how:

*All information on network expansion comes from the provider O2 Telefónica.