Telefonica Deutschland is to begin integrating the UMTS and GSM networks of O2 and mobile operator E-Plus in January 2016.
The company will also expand its LTE network, with the aim to enable both networks to use LTE from mid-2016.
“As a leading digital telecoms company, we want to provide our customers with the best network experience. Following the successful introduction of national roaming, the integration of the mobile networks is the next key step on the road to even better and denser network coverage,” said Markus Hass, COO at Telefonica Deutschland.
The integration process will initially focus on densely populated urban areas as Telefonica Deutschland aims to provide coverage to 60% of the population within the first year of the network integration. The completion of the integrated network is expected to take five years.
In October 2014, Telefonica Deutschland completed its acquisition of E-Plus, creating the country’s largest operator in terms of mobile connections.
