1 & 1 5G cracks 10 million users: record growth despite stumbling blocks

Hardly any mobile network in Europe has grown as quickly as that of 1 & 1, which only started with its own services at the end of 2023. Now the company is celebrating a milestone, but the start problems have not yet been forgotten.

Ten million users in their own 5G network

Ten million users are now in the 1 & 1-own 5G network-a value that exceeds Austria’s population and almost every eighth inhabitant in Germany would be if you take around 84 million people in this country as a yardstick. The company wants to crack the twelve million users by the end of the year.

Hardly any mobile network has grown faster than the 1 & 1 O-ran. 10 million users are a clear evidence of the performance and reliability of our infrastructure based on the new open-ran technology-there will be over 12 million by the end of the year. Michael Martin, CEO of 1 & 1 Mobilfunk GmbH

But how much network is behind it?

This is made possible by a consistent strategy: the migration of the previous customers, which previously made calls via the networks of Telefónica and Vodafone, runs in the background – switching is usually done at night and for the users hardly noticeable. Up to 50,000 customers are moved into their own network every day, a process that is considered the largest network migration in Germany.

Open as a technical unique selling point

Technologically, 1 & 1 rely on open. This means that instead of manufacturer-specific hardware, many network functions run as software in a cloud infrastructure. This ensures more flexibility and faster adaptation to new requirements. 1 & 1 also sees itself in terms of energy efficiency: According to TÜV Rheinland, the network works 10 to 30 percent more efficiently than conventional mobile networks.

The stony path to your own network

However, the way to this milestone was anything but smooth. Again and again 1 & 1 fell behind the network expansion: The Federal Network Agency had already demanded at least 1,000 active 5G stations for the end of 2022 – but in early 2023 it was only a handful. This led to an official procedure against 1 & 1. At the same time, there was a dispute with infrastructure partners: the Federal Cartel Office tested whether Vodafone and its daughter Vantage Towers deliberately hinder the expansion – an accusation that is still reverberating.

In addition, there was a massive disturbance of the new network last year, which lasted over three days, and 1 & 1 had to pay its customers compensation. Infographics Mobile Funeral: 51 percent trust in large network operators. The expansion has not yet been completed. With its own 5G network, 1 & 1 has recently achieved a lot in a short time – at least on paper. The number of users increases rapidly.