Vodafone says it has built over 225 new mobile masts since the start of the year.
The operator first signed an agreement with German railway operator Deutsche Bahn in April 2022 with the aim of deploying 5G standalone (5G SA) along major routes by 2025. Vodafone now says it has built new masts and improved existing infrastructure as part of its expansion. It claims to have implemented a total of 1,237 construction projects so far.
“Thanks to the new buildings and the numerous modernization measures on the existing antennas, we were able to noticeably improve the mobile phone coverage for rail passengers and commuters,” says Vodafone technology boss Tanja Richter.
Vodafone says 5G SA is now available on more than 50% of the country’s railway lines which represent 15,000 km of rail. Of Germany’s 3,250 train stations, it says 1,800 are now covered by its 5G network.
While Vodafone works to improve its network, Deutsche Bahn has been working to install new windows that allow mobile signals to penetrate more easily. It plans to upgrade 70,000 windows on 3,300 ICE and IC train cars over the next few years.
