1&1 said that around 700,000 customers were already using its O-RAN network as of the end of March

German operator 1&1, which is owned by United Internet AG, had constructed a total of 1,334 antenna sites by the end of the first quarter of the year, the company said in a statement.

The carrier, which launched mobile services using its own infrastructure in December 2023, said that around 700,000 customers were already using the 1&1 O-RAN network as of the end of March. The company said its network is fully virtualized and based on O-RAN technology. The network uses hardware, software and services from more than 80 partners, 1&1 said.

“Following the launch of our mobile services at the end of 2023, the first three months of financial year 2024 were focused on expanding our mobile network and starting the migration of our more than 12 million mobile customers from external networks to the new 1&1 mobile network,” the carrier said.

In addition to its own mobile network, 1&1 has guaranteed access to as much as 30% of the capacity of Telefónica’s mobile network in Germany. Furthermore, 1&1 utilizes capacities from other wholesale providers, including Vodafone’s mobile network.

1&1 previously said that it aims to provide 5G services to a quarter of German households by the end of 2025 and to half of them by the end of 2030.

In August 2023, 1&1 signed a long-term roaming deal with compatriot operator Vodafone Germany, which will enable the provision of 5G service at a national level.

Under the terms of the binding agreement, the two parties committed to finish up a final national roaming cooperation as soon as possible. The national roaming cooperation will include the “non-discriminatory provision” of national roaming services in areas that are not yet covered by the new 1&1 mobile network and will comprise the access to Vodafone’s 2G, 4G and 5G networks as well as future mobile standards and technologies.

Vodafone will start providing roaming services one year after the conclusion of the final national roaming cooperation or October 1, 2024 at the latest. The roaming cooperation with Vodafone will be valid for an initial period of five years, which can then be extended by a further 13 years.

The German operator has also previously selected Japanese company Rakuten Group to design, build and operate a fully virtualized mobile network based O-RAN technology. In August 2021, 1&1 and Rakuten Group announced a long-term partnership to build the former’s mobile network in Germany. Through this deal, Rakuten became the general contractor for the 1&1 mobile network.