Germany plans to have a nationwide 5G network by 2025
Germany plans to have a nationwide 5G network by 2025. Image credit: All News.ORG.

Germany revealed its plans to become the first country to launch 5G trials nationwide. The German government wants to push forward last gen technology like self-driving cars. That kind of technology requires an ultra-fast Internet connection.

In an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, Alexander Dobrindt, presented a five-point plan that extended to 2025 and principally targeted Germany’s 20 largest cities.

The newspaper also reported he was scheduled to present this plan at a Ministry conference on Tuesday.

Transport and Digital Infrastructure, Alexander Dobrindt, announces Germany's plans of a 5G nationwide network.
Germany’s Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, Alexander Dobrindt. Image credit: BMVI.

Germany’s 5 step plan for a nationwide 5G network

According to the news outlet, the five-point strategy document stated traffic in Germany’s mobile networks would see a 1000% increase by 2020, which is one of the main reason’s for the plan to be implemented four years ahead.

The paper also includes the organizing of a telecommunications forum as one of its steps for the implementation of the new standard. The conference will serve as a center for dialogue regarding 5G implementation. There is not an official date for the talks to begin yet.

A 5G test city is also within the plans with a funding of up to two million euros. The paper also mentions financing and support for 5G testing in the development of automatic driving programs, as stated before. Point number five regards the development of new infrastructure to reach the desired goals on 2025 or earlier.

How fast can a 5G network be?

Up to 20 gigabits per second can be expected of a 5G network, paired with a latency of below one millisecond, as reported by FAZ. This means 5G networks are supposed to be a hundred times faster than 4G.

Australia’s leading mobile electronics supplier Telstra recently tested a 5G network that apparently registered speeds of approximately 20Gbps, according to Business Insider Australia.

The article also remarked real 5G speeds would be substantially different when millions of users connected to the network at the same time.

The United States is also working on a 5G platform

T-Mobile has recently partnered with Nokia and Ericsson to conduct 5G tests in the United States. They reportedly reached speeds of about 12Gbps, according to Bloomberg.

Samsung has also worked in this type of technology with T-Mobile and is now teaming up with Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) for its upcoming projects.

Previous headlines regarding this technology include Huawei and Vodafone’s recent tests on 5G network sharing and the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to finally allow the deployment of this technology in the United States, earlier than expected.

Source: Reuters