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Vodafone is launching the first independent 5G mobile network in Germany that can do without the help of the 4G network.
"We are clearing the way for real-time, 5G is standing on its own two feet for the first time in Germany," said Vodafone Germany boss Hannes Ametsreiter to WELT.
So far, the 5G networks from Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and Telefónica have used the infrastructure of the LTE predecessor network, without which they would not work.
This is why users with their smartphones have hardly noticed any difference between the two networks.
Critics therefore also speak of the Mogel 5G.
In fact, the advantages of the new networks have so far hardly been usable.
With corresponding smartphones, there was a download speed of one gigabit per second or even more at individual locations.
But the mobile phone providers see the real advantage elsewhere.
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A real 5G network has much shorter response times in addition to high speed and also offers the option of making these available to individual users together with the speed guaranteed.
Experts also call response time latency.
The ability to reserve part of the network for individual users is known as network slicing.
If a 5G network manages without 4G, it is called 5G standalone.
As fast as the human nervous system
At the start, Vodafone will activate 1000 cellular antennas with the new network.
By the end of the year there should be 4,000 antennas.
So far, mobile operators have only tested the real 5G network on individual antennas; there was no regular operation in the network.
While the mobile phone technicians speak of an evolution when switching from 4G to the previous 5G, they call the stand-alone 5G network a revolution.
Vodafone's network response times are reduced to ten to 15 milliseconds, "as fast as the human nervous system," explains Vodafone chief technology officer Gerhard Mack.
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This makes autonomous driving possible, for example, which requires lightning-fast reaction times.
In the previous network, the response times were often three to four times as long.
Telekom switched its first video call over a 5G standalone connection at the beginning of March - from an antenna in Garching to Bamberg.
"With our first data connection via 5G standalone, we are writing history again, as the first network operator in Germany," said Telekom technical director Walter Goldenits afterwards.
Data centers are moving closer to users
When asked when Telekom would go live with its real 5G, he replied: “This is one of the hottest secrets in the entire company.” However, the company says that Telekom is also about to launch the standalone network.
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Telefónica is also working on it.
"We'll be setting up 5G on our own this year," says Telefónica Germany boss Markus Haas.
"We will implement our 5G core network by autumn, the first 5G standalone tests have already been successful."
In fact, for the stand-alone 5G, mobile operators have to equip not only the antenna location, but also the core network with 5G technology.
In order to achieve the short response times at all, the data centers also have to move closer to the users.
Vodafone is starting with a 5G data center in Frankfurt am Main.
However, due to the distance, a few milliseconds are added to the response time on the route from Frankfurt to Hamburg.
The mobile operator is therefore planning to distribute ten 5G data centers in Germany over the next two years.
Data exchange in real time
"Then data can be exchanged almost in real time throughout Germany," says Head of Technology Mack.
The one millisecond response time promised by the industry was never intended for public networks.
In theory, it is only possible if a mini data center is located directly at the antenna, as would be possible in a factory hall, for example.
Even if the first mobile operator with real 5G starts with Vodafone, many mobile network users will have to be patient for some time.
Most of the 5G smartphones that have already been sold cannot even log into the standalone network.
You simply do not have the technical requirements.
This also applies to the iPhone 12. Only the newer 5G smartphones, including the Samsung Galaxy S21 and the Oppo Find X3, get a software update for the new networks.
Vodafone users who already have a 5G tariff will soon be able to activate the use of 5G standalone - initially free of charge - via an app.
The battery is conserved
Even the cell phone operators are still not entirely clear how they want to make the new network attractive to private users.
Fast response times are especially interesting for gamers.
In multiplayer games, quick reactions and milliseconds are important.
"We also ensure that digital applications such as virtual and augmented reality can develop their full potential," says Telefónica boss Haas.
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But even here the applications are still missing.
Those who primarily need high download speeds may be in better hands for the time being in the “old” 5G network, which is also known as the non-standalone network.
Network operators can bundle frequencies here in order to offer higher download speeds of one gigabit per second.
In the new 5G network, this is not possible for the time being.
Smartphones are also not yet able to bundle frequencies in a standalone network.
A serious disadvantage that could prevent many users from switching for the time being.
Even so, there are a few advantages that may become more serious once the new network is rolled out.
Because smartphones do not have to be logged into two networks at the same time, the battery is saved.
Experts assume that later in the standalone network the battery can last up to a fifth longer.
More connections per antenna
Cellular antennas will also be able to increase their range by around 20 percent, which will ultimately lead to fewer antennas in the network.
For their part, these antennas will be able to establish significantly more connections than before.
While the previous 5G network can network around 100,000 people and machines per square meter, the new 5G network has a million connections.
However, according to experts, it will take a few years before the 5G standalone networks are rolled out on a larger scale.
The networks will be more interesting for corporate customers, who can use them to book guaranteed services via network slicing.
For example, when the wireless camera of a radio station in a football stadium needs a guaranteed upload speed while thousands of football fans are sending or downloading pictures and videos at the same time.
The normal smartphone user has to forego such prioritization against money, however, because such regulations could quickly violate the legal requirements for net neutrality, which mobile operators must also adhere to.