Mobile operator O2 Germany is pressing ahead with plans to roll-out LTE in rural German communities, after piloting the technology in urban areas last month.
Announcing the launch of its rural LTE trials, the subsidiary of Spanish giant Telefónica…
Mobile operator O2 Germany is pressing ahead with plans to roll-out LTE in rural German communities, after piloting the technology in urban areas last month.
Announcing the launch of its rural LTE trials, the subsidiary of Spanish giant Telefónica revealed that its initial 800MHz pilot will be available to customers in Teutschenthal, near Halle, and Ebersberg, near Munich, before the end of the year.
The group plans to roll-out its LTE network on a commercial basis in 2011, supplying up to 1,500 locations in Germany.
“Germany is a key market for LTE where we have successfully tested this next generation technology and will soon start friendly user tests with customers in network pilots at both urban and rural locations,” said Matthew Key, chairman and CEO of Telefónica Europe.
German incumbent Deutsche Telekom last week announced it had selected European vendor Nokia Siemens Networks to begin deploying its own 800MHz LTE network across the country.
A spokesman for Deutsche Telekom said it plans to invest approximately E10bn between 2010 and 2012 in fibre optics and other mobile communications technologies. He also confirmed ongoing talks with mobile operator O2 Germany and Vodafone’s German unit to join forces in offering LTE services in Germany. Although the spokesman said the group was open to cooperative agreements, he insisted no decisions had been made because the talks were in very early stages.
When contacted by TelecomFinance, a spokesman for O2 said the company was not aware of any official talks between operators in Germany towards an LTE network share, but added that it is “always open for negotiation”.
