Darmstadt is one of several model digitization regions in Germany. Deutsche Telekom is now using the city in southern Hesse as another test field for 5G applications. At the heart of it are the new AIR antennas, which are designed to deliver the highest transfer rates thanks to technological innovations. The Ericsson base band is also being used, which Deutsche Telekom currently installs for 2G, 3G and 4G. For the test field in Darmstadt, Telekom is using a test license in the 3.7 GHz frequency range.

In the last quarter of 2018, Telekom and Ericsson already succeeded in setting up data connections between test end devices of various manufacturers, both in the laboratory and under real environmental conditions. In Berlin in May 2018, Telekom launched the first Europe-wide 5G test under real conditions; the new mobile network transmission technology is also now being tested in the port of Hamburg.