Press Releases Telefónica Germany

O₂ has become the first German mobile network operator to successfully make a voice call purely over its 5G Live network. The technological innovation Voice over New Radio (VoNR) makes voice telephony in the 5G network possible in the first place. To date, voice calls in all German mobile networks still run via predecessor technologies.

O₂ is expanding its fair O₂ My Handy bundle offer for rate plans and smartphones: From October 5, 2021, O₂ customers will have additional options for paying their devices in installments. In addition to 24 months, they can also pay off their desired device individually over 36 or 48 monthly installments and combine it with a 24-month rate plan.

O₂ will offer the best-ever lineup of iPhone, including the innovative and elegant iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 13, and iPhone 13 mini. Redesigned inside and out, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max introduce the most advanced pro camera system ever on iPhone, Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion, improved battery life, the Apple-designed A15 Bionic chip with 5-core GPU, and an advanced 5G experience. iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini feature the most advanced dual camera system ever in iPhone and the powerhouse A15 Bionic chip in a sleek and durable design.

Telefónica and NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) announced today that they have entered an agreement to conduct Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) pre-commercial trials in Telefonica’s four core global markets: Spain, Germany, the UK and Brazil.

World premiere in Munich: On the occasion of the IAA Mobility, Telefónica Deutschland/O₂ demonstrates the possibilities that 5G technology has to offer for the future of mobility as part of the "O₂ 5G Race Days". Via the public O₂ 5G network, anyone of interest will be able to control racing cars in real time over a racetrack – anywhere across the world and from wherever 5G is available. A 60 meter race track, 6 model cars, 6 Samsung smartphones and a powerful 5G network - for their demonstration, O₂ has set up the race track in the 5G Tech Lab of its Innovation Hub Wayra in the heart of Munich. There, model racers of the startup VROMBR will be controlled via the 5G network for the first time worldwide. Due to its superior technical properties - particularly the exceptionally short response times of currently already 10 to 20 milliseconds - the 5G mobile communications standard makes it possible for control commands to be transmitted from smartphone to automobile in real time.

Mobile analytics company Opensignal awards O₂'s network as the fastest 5G network in Germany in terms of the download speed category. According to the latest industry report on the quality of 5G mobile networks in Germany, O₂ customers experienced significantly faster download speeds than customers in the 5G networks of competitors, with an average of 131.4 Mbit/s.

Telefónica Deutschland / O₂ and Stiftung Digitale Chancen are today launching the educational campaign „Faktisch betrachtet – fit gegen Fake News“ for older people on the topic of disinformation on the Internet. The core of the education is an information package that ranges from a checklist for debunking false information to explanatory videos and various event formats.

Due to Corona, many companies allow their employees to work flexibly. Home office is more or less standard and no longer just a voluntary goodie of attractive employers. At the same time, companies need to keep an even closer eye on operating costs in these particularly challenging economic times. This is where O₂ Business delvers added value: with the new solution consisting of Managed Microsoft 365 and a virtual telephone system, O₂ Business creates a modern and cost-efficient workplace of the future for companies. With its attractive price-performance ratio and with an additional savings potential of up to 46 percent, O₂ Business offers companies the economic basis to be able to act financially efficiently.

Telefónica Deutschland / O₂ is accelerating the shutdown of its 3G network in various regions of Germany. Instead of the originally planned implementation by the end of the year, the company will now convert the majority of 3G sites as early as September and carry out the last large-scale shutdowns by mid-November. The company began shutting down the 3G network in individual regions on July 1.

As a partner of Messe München, Telefónica Deutschland / O₂ is setting up comprehensive 5G high-performance mobile communications coverage at the trade fair grounds and for the adjacent A94 motorway. Just in time for the IAA MOBILITY from 7-12 September in Munich, the trade fair in the Bavarian capital is thus also launching into the 5G era.

Telefónica Deutschland / O₂, in cooperation with the energy provider Mainova, has put Hesse's first smart 5G street light into operation in Frankfurt am Main.

Telefónica / O₂ delivered record revenue and operating profit in the first half of fiscal year 2021. Based on the strong operational and financial momentum in the first half of the year, the company raises its guidance for fiscal year 2021.

O₂ Business has developed a new digital networking solution for SMEs that enables companies to easily network their company locations and securely set up existing infrastructures for the digital age. The O₂ Business Smart Network product is based on SD-WAN (Software Defined Wide Area Network) technology.

O₂ is now offering its O₂ my Home tariffs via Tele Columbus' 2.4 million Internet-enabled cable connections. From July 21, 2021, the O₂ brand is thus expanding the network infrastructure for its fixed-network offering, which is implemented via a broad and unique technology mix of DSL, cable, fiber and 4G/5G mobile. Being already connected to the Vodafone cable network, O₂ will then reach more than 26 million households with fixed-network services via cable connections through its partnership with Tele Columbus, Germany's second-largest cable network provider.

The rapid network expansion of Telefónica Deutschland / O₂ is making itself felt in a significantly better network quality and thus also in a strong increase in data usage by customers. The company's approximately 44 million customers are sending more and more mobile data through the nationwide O₂ mobile network. This is mainly due to the increasing popularity of music and video streaming as well as sharing photos and videos on social media or via messaging apps such as WhatsApp. In the past six months alone, the O₂ network transported around 1 billion gigabytes of data volume - an all-time high in Germany's mobile networks. This means that data usage in the O₂ network has doubled in a period of only two years.

O₂ has started the 5G expansion turbo: In the O₂ 5G network, almost 2,000 5G antennas in around 80 cities are already transmitting on the high-performance 3.6 GHz frequency specially designated for 5G. O₂ customers thus receive higher speeds, additional network capacities and thus an optimal network experience overall. Telefónica Deutschland CEO Markus Haas talked about the current progress of the network expansion offensive and the benefits of 5G for consumers and the economy on the occasion of a "5G theme day" with the news channel ntv (ntv Telebörse on July 2, 9 a.m.). The special feature: For the first time, the interview was broadcasted in real time to the ntv studio via O₂'s own 5G network in Munich.

Telefónica Deutschland / O₂ starts the future of mobile gaming: for the first time, the provider has brought modern virtual reality (VR) games to life via its new O₂ 5G standalone live mobile network. During the premiere in Munich, O₂ showed the game Half Life Alyx, which was named VR Game of the Year 2020 several times. Here, O₂ is working with its partners Ericsson and NVIDIA. Compared to normal computer games, which are shown on a monitor or smartphone display, virtual reality gaming uses VR glasses to immerse players in an interactive 3D environment in which they can look around and move freely. Mobile virtual reality gaming is therefore considered a very demanding digital application that requires extremely short latencies, fast data throughput rates, and very high reliability, which de facto only 5G Standalone can offer in mobile communications. This is the final expansion stage of the mobile communications standard, in which 5G operates completely decoupled from the existing 4G standard.

O₂, the core brand of Telefónica Deutschland, is setting a visible sign for diversity and tolerance today for the European Championship match. Starting at 9 p.m., the 37th floor of the O₂ Tower, the tallest building in Munich at 146 meters, will shine in rainbow colors from all sides. In this way, the company makes a visible statement that will shine in the Munich night sky from sunset onwards. In addition, the O₂ logos on the O₂ Tower will be presented in rainbow colors by laser.

The O₂ brand is expanding the range of its 5G-capable mobile tariffs. From July 6, all new and existing customers will be able to use the latest mobile communications standard with any of the O₂ Free Unlimited tariffs or a volume tariff from the O₂ Free M onwards. This means that 5G tariffs are available from O₂ from €29.99 per month. When taking out a new contract for one of these tariffs, 5G will automatically be included for O₂ customers, existing customers can book the free "5G access" package¹.

Telefónica Deutschland / O₂ put its 1,500th 5G antenna into operation in the O₂ network. The company has thus achieved an important intermediate step in its ambitious 5G network expansion program. All 1,500 5G antennas in the O₂ network transmit over the powerful 3.6 GHz frequency, which already offers O₂ customers in 60 cities particularly high data transmission rates, extremely short response times and thus an optimal network experience. Exactly two years ago, the telecommunications provider purchased the frequencies at auction from the German Federal Network Agency. Now Telefónica Deutschland / O₂ is expanding its network across Germany with these frequencies on a prioritized basis. This year, the company will further accelerate its 5G rollout and provide more and more cities and regions with 5G.

Starting 1 July, Telefónica Deutschland / O₂ will begin the large-scale shutdown of its 3G network. The resources previously required for 3G will make way for the significantly more powerful 4G network by the end of the year. To this end, the telecommunications provider will use the frequencies of the currently around 16,000 3G transmitters on 2,100 MHz for 4G in the future. O₂ customers as well as customers of Telefónica Deutschland's other own and partner brands will thus benefit from an even better network experience. Compared to 3G, 4G offers customers additional network capacities, higher surfing speeds and significantly shorter response times for mobile data usage. For all O₂ customers still using a device limited to 3G, O₂ is providing attractive offers for new devices.

Telefónica Deutschland and 1&1 Drillisch have agreed upon the long-term stipulations of their future cooperation in a National Roaming Agreement (NRA) and signed a corresponding contract on 21 May 2021. With the conclusion of the NRA and as part of the overall agreement, the remaining ongoing price reviews initiated by 1&1 Drillisch will no longer be pursued.

Telefónica / O₂ got off to a good start in the 2021 financial year. Despite headwinds from COVID-19 effects, the company grew profitably in the first quarter of 2021. Driven by continued strong operating momentum across all businesses, revenues increased 0.2 percent to 1.85 billion euros and adjusted operating income OIBDA grew 5.5 percent to 562 million euros.