Interim results after five years O₂ Telefónica's 5G network breaks the billion-gigabyte mark

Telecommunications provider O₂ Telefónica has transported more than one billion gigabytes of data in twelve months on its 5G network for the first time, breaking the exabyte barrier for 5G. This is equivalent to 50,000 years of HD video streaming on YouTube and shows that the new mobile communications standard has become firmly established in the lives of mobile phone users – and in record time. Since its launch on 3 October 2020, O₂ Telefónica now reaches more than 98 percent of the population in Germany with 5G. No other mobile communications standard has been rolled out so comprehensively in such a short time. The volume of data transmitted has increased exponentially since the launch of 5G in 2020: O₂ Telefónica's network currently transmits around three million gigabytes per day via 5G. That would be enough for one billion songs every day, or ten times the Spotify library.

"In just five years, 5G has evolved from a technological innovation to an integral part of everyday digital life. With our network, we now enable millions of people to enjoy faster, more stable, and more powerful mobile internet than ever before, giving as many people and businesses in the country as possible access to digital participation," says Markus Haas, CEO of O₂ Telefónica.

O₂ Telefónica invests around one billion euros every year to further improve network quality. Five years after the launch of 5G, O₂ Telefónica is continuing its network expansion: in the first nine months of 2025, the company has already carried out around 5,000 expansion measures. Nationwide, more than 1,700 mobile phone sites have been upgraded to the modern 5G mobile communications standard. Thousands more sites have been equipped with additional network capacity so that customers can surf and make calls smoothly despite increasing data demand. More than 300 new mobile phone masts since the beginning of the year are improving coverage, densifying the network, and specifically closing existing gaps in coverage. For example, new masts are now transmitting in Ziethen in the district of Herzogtum Lauenburg, in Romrod in the Vogelsberg district of Hesse, in Efringen-Kirchen in the district of Lörrach, in Fridolfing in the district of Traunstein, in Ahlstädt in the district of Hildburghausen in Thuringia, and in hundreds of other locations across Germany. “With this rapid expansion, O₂ Telefónica is laying the foundation for Germany's digital future and underscoring the role of 5G as the technological backbone of a connected society,” says CEO Markus Haas. “For Germany to be a digital leader, accelerating network expansion must now be at the top of the political agenda – with less bureaucracy, clear approval deadlines, and the political will to treat mobile communications as a matter of overriding public interest. Only then can we quickly build new cell towers and achieve truly nationwide coverage in Germany.”