It has been more than two years since the first 5G transmitters started in German cellular networks. The promise: more modern technology for more speed and faster response times. In reality, however, the new technology is nowhere near as fast as advertised.
This is shown by the current mobile network test by COMPUTER BILD (issue 25/2021). The trade journal determined the speed of the networks based on measurements on normal smartphones. From the beginning of January to mid-November 2021, the COMPUTER BILD SpeedTest app was used over 291,000 times.
The result: On average, the testers were traveling around three times as fast via 5G as via LTE – and more than twice as fast as the average DSL connection in Germany.
The highest 5G speed was achieved by the test winner Telekom with an average of 157 megabits per second (Mbps), followed by Telefónica O₂ (145 Mbps) and Vodafone (134 Mbps) – via LTE it was only 49 to 69 Mbps. But: Theoretically, top speeds of 500 Mbps and more should be possible in the 5G network.
And: The 5G speed was really convincing in all networks only in large cities. This is where the mobile network is traditionally best developed and is also the most demanding. Telekom wins in most cities, but not everywhere. In Leipzig (186 Mbps, highest measured value in the test), Bremen (135 Mbps) and Frankfurt (114 Mbps), for example, Vodafone has the lead when it comes to downloads, in Essen (78 Mbps) and Duisburg (81 Mbps) Telefónica O₂.
In smaller cities, the pace of Vodafone and O₂ dropped significantly, in rural regions O₂ customers usually have to make do with LTE.
The conclusion from COMPUTER BILD: The speed advantage of 5G is real and clearly noticeable with the corresponding smartphone, tariff and network. But 5G is still a long way from being available to everyone and not everywhere. If you want a good and fast network all over Germany, you have come to the right place with test winner Telekom. For many city dwellers, however, a cheaper 5G tariff in the O2 network is a cheaper alternative.
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