5G reception in the subway: O2 Telefónica makes it possible in Munich

Radio gaps and slow mobile Internet are to become a thing of the past in the entire Munich subway network from now on. At least for customers of O2 Telefónica, which is extending 5G reception to the underground with immediate effect.

O2 Telefónica offers 5G reception in Munich’s underground

Do you live or work in Munich, rely on the subway and are an O2 Telefónica customer to boot? Then you have reason to rejoice as of now. As the network operator announced, there will be 5G reception in the entire subway network of the Bavarian capital with immediate effect.

The network operator has already been providing 4G/LTE reception in public transport “underground” since 2017, and now there is finally also the even faster 5G standard on the U1 to U8 lines with a corresponding tariff.

The subway lines of the Munich Transport Company (MVG) are the most important means of public transport in the state capital and are used by more than one million passengers every day. These can now benefit from the additional speed on the O2 Telefónica network.

In addition to the higher data rates, however, network capacities are also said to have been expanded so that more users can simultaneously enjoy music and video streaming while riding the subway.

Nightly upgrade

In order to be able to implement 5G reception in the subway at all, the existing network had to be expanded in extensive modernization measures. As usual, these were carried out in parts for individual sections and during the busy nighttime hours.

Among other things, the existing hardware in the subway’s technical rooms was replaced by state-of-the-art network technology. A total of around 100 new transmitter units were installed. This means that more than 200 radio cells with high-performance 5G are now available.

“We are rolling out 5G faster than any other mobile technology before. The launch of our 5G network in the Munich subway is further proof of our rapid expansion progress. We are making Munich our 5G capital,” reveals Mallik Rao, Chief Technology & Information Officer of O2 Telefónica.

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O2 offers the best 5G network in Munich

At the latest with the expansion for 5G in the subway network O2 Telefónica consolidates its pioneering position in the Bavarian capital. Thanks to the new 3.6 GHz frequencies, it offers a “real” 5G network in Munich and says it already serves 80 percent of the population of the metropolis of 1.5 million.

In total, more than 600 5G antennas are transmitting on this high-speed frequency alone in the Bavarian capital. In the magazine Connect, the telephone provider was awarded the top mark “Outstanding” for the best mobile and 5G network in Munich for this. Among other things, O2 Telefónica uses Open RAN mini radio cells, which competitor Vodafone also plans to offer with its own hardware.