German operator 1&1 Drillisch has announced the signing of an agreement with Telefonica Deutschland to lease spectrum for the rollout of its own 5G mobile network. Drillisch Online, a wholly owned subsidiary of 1&1 Drillisch, will lease two frequency blocks of 10MHz each in the 2.6GHz band. The agreement is based on a commitment by Telefonica as part of the EU antitrust approval of its merger with E-Plus in 2014. The two frequency blocks will be available to 1&1 Drillisch until 31 December 2025. The agreement is subject to the approval of the Federal Network Agency (FNA).
At the FNA’s auction of 5G spectrum in the 2GHz and 3.6GHz ranges, which ended in June 2019, 1&1 Drillisch acquired a total of two frequency blocks of 10MHz in the 2GHz band and five frequency blocks of 10MHz in the 3.6GHz band. While the 3.6GHz spectrum is already available, the frequencies in the 2GHz band will not be useable until 1 January 2026.