Vodafone activated a 5G Standalone (SA) network, beginning in major German cities including Frankfurt.
At the April 12 launch, technicians switched all mobile radio stations in the 3.5GHz range to 5G, connecting them to an independent 5G Core network. Ericsson has provided products and solutions from the Ericsson Radio System portfolio, as well Ericsson Cloud Core for the cloud-native microservices-based 5G Core, to help Vodafone build the new 5G standalone network in Germany.
Hannes Ametsreiter, CEO, Vodafone Germany, says: “We are clearing the way for real-time connectivity. 5G is standing on its own two feet in Germany for the first time. We are the first network operator to put aside the LTE support wheels for 5G - not for internal tests, but for our customers, who can experience real-time connections.“
Ericson said Vodafone is the first network operator in Europe to activate 5G Standalone on this scale.
Arun Bansal, President, Ericsson Europe and Latin America, says: “5G Standalone brings huge advantages to industry and consumers alike. With faster network response times, users can now harness the power of real-time mobile communication."
