Telefonica Deutschland accelerates 3G shutdown

Telefonica Deutschland has revealed that it is aiming to convert its existing 3G network to 4G LTE technology by the end of 2021. The 3G switch-off, which is one year ahead of schedule, will enable customers of all of the company’s brands to benefit from a better network experience and significantly faster speeds. Telefonica Deutschland will be able to accelerate its 4G and 5G network rollout in the future by using the additional 2100MHz frequency spectrum that is currently used for 3G services. The firm has already begun converting the first 3G sites to 4G, with the majority of upgrade work at around 18,000 sites expected to take place in the second half of 2021.