Deutsche Telekom announced the deployment of a first group of 5G antennas in the city of Darmstadt. The new systems follow 5G-antenna test fields in Berlin and the Port of Hamburg.
The carrier plans to install 18 Massive MIMO test antennas and conduct a 5G test field in the city to gather experience with installation and operation of systems for the new technology. In addition, a range of 5G applications and devices will be tested. For the project, Deutsche Telekom is cooperating closely with the City of Darmstadt and with Ericsson, its technology partner.
"Our test fields are enabling us now, prior to the market launch of 5G, to gain important experience with 5G," explained Walter Goldenits, Chief Technology Officer at Telekom Deutschland. "We are happy to see that Darmstadt, the Digital City, has joined Berlin and Hamburg in pioneering this new communications standard. We plan to carry out additional tests this year. After all, there will be no avoiding 5G in 2019."
Jochen Partsch, Lord Mayor of the Science City Darmstadt: "As a digital city Darmstadt we want to become a national and international pioneer in the testing of Smart City technologies. We are proud that, in addition to the German cities of Berlin and Hamburg, another test field is being built in Darmstadt. The future 5G standard is an important further development of the mobile communications network which, thanks to ultra-fast and reliable information transmission in real time, will enable us, for example, to implement networked driving and autonomous local public transport."
In addition, Deutsche Telekom, working in cooperation with hubraum, its Berlin-based start-up incubator, has launched a 5G prototyping program. The start-ups at hubraum are now using Deutsche Telekom's 5G test field in Berlin to develop 5G applications under live conditions. The 5G cluster in Berlin, which has been in operation since May 2018, now comprises more than 50 antennas.
https://www.telekom.com/en/media/media-information/archive/5g-test-field-in-darmstadt-561588
