Network Coverage at Telefónica Germany – Questions & Answers

The O₂ network consists of more than 29,000 mobile phone sites. These ensure comprehensive nationwide network coverage. This means that Telefónica Germany operates the mobile phone network with the second-highest number of mobile phone sites in Germany.

The Telefónica Germany network is so powerful and connects so many people and businesses every day that it easily handles the majority of mobile data traffic in Germany (~50%). Data volume on the Telefónica Germany network is now more than four times higher than in 2020 (6.3 billion gigabytes in 2025 vs. 1.5 billion gigabytes in 2020).

Telefónica Germany is consistently pushing ahead with network expansion in order to provide private and business customers nationwide with higher speeds and greater capacity in everyday life. Every year, Telefónica Germany invests around €1 billion in its network, IT and service offerings for this purpose.   The focus is on expanding the fast 5G network, using additional 4G/LTE frequency bands and building new mobile phone sites to close coverage gaps and further densify the network. Private and business customers in cities, rural areas and along transport routes benefit from a high-performance network and fast mobile data.

A particular focus is on:

• The expansion of 5G in cities and rural areas

• The expansion of additional 4G/LTE capacities

• Improved coverage along motorways, federal highways and train routes

In this way, Telefónica Germany is gradually closing remaining coverage gaps and ensuring reliable mobile internet – even on the move

5G is already available on the O₂ network in virtually all parts of Germany. Telefónica Germany already reaches around 99% of the population with 5G. Telefónica Germany is investing heavily in the 5G network rollout. After the launch in October 2020 in the five largest German cities, the rollout has been significantly accelerated.

Telefónica Germany is expanding the O₂ network at record speed. In 2025 alone, the telecommunications provider implemented 8,000 expansion measures in the network. This includes the commissioning of 600 additional mobile phone sites, which significantly improve network coverage in cities, rural areas and along transport routes. The company has thus once again exceeded the expansion performance of previous years. In mathematical terms, this means that Telefónica Germany implements an expansion measure for a better network approximately every hour, around the clock, every day of the year. Every other day, a dead spot disappears.

Telefónica Germany is specifically expanding its own mobile network along railway lines. In 2024/2025, Telefónica Germany will have activated additional spectrum (LTE on 900 MHz) for mobile coverage for rail passengers at 10,000 locations along railway lines, providing better network coverage for more than 28,000 kilometres of the 33,000-kilometre rail network.

Telefónica Germany is constantly expanding its own mobile network. You can find a selection of the latest 5G roll-out news here (in German). With the O₂ availability check, you can quickly and easily check how good the O₂ network is at your adress.

The outdated 3G technology (UMTS) was switched off at the end of 2021. Telefónica Germany has since been using the freed-up frequency spectrum for the significantly more powerful 4G/LTE standard – an important step towards better network quality and higher data rates.

Telefónica Deutschland will shut down the 2G (GSM) mobile standard on its network in the second half of 2028. The technology was developed more than 30 years ago primarily for voice calls and SMS and has now reached the end of its lifecycle, which is why all German mobile providers are discontinuing 2G service. The company will use the freed-up frequencies for 4G/LTE and 5G in the future. This will allow Telefónica Deutschland to create additional capacity for mobile voice calls, data usage, and connected applications. Further details are available on the respective brands’ websites and in the press release from Telefónica Deutschland.

With the O₂ availability check, you can quickly and easily check how good the telephony and mobile Internet coverage is at your address. The live check also shows how well the O₂ mobile network is currently working at your location. Check network availability now

Yes. Telefónica Germany offers leading technological diversity and geographical availability in the landline sector. Through partnerships, the company can offer DSL, cable and fibre optic connections with speeds of up to 1000 Mbit/s nationwide. Telefónica Germany currently reaches around 24 million households with gigabit speeds. That is more than half of all German households.