Vodafone Germany followed market leader Deutsche Telekom in launching 5G, with an initial rollout targeting 20 key cities and towns.

In a statement, Vodafone said it had turned on its first 5G antennas, with Cologne, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Dortmund and Munich among the initial launch cities. In August, it will take the technology to other major cities including Berlin and Frankfurt and it aims to operate in 25 cities, 25 municipalities and ten industrial parks by the close of its current fiscal year (end-March 2020).

Rival Deutsche Telekom went to market on 3 July, rolling out the technology in six cities. It said it aims to reach the 20 largest cities in the country in the next 18 months.

Vodafone’s German 5G play follows its launch in the UK earlier this month, when it put a particular focus on implementing a low-price strategy.

Notably, it has done the same in Germany, offering new 5G deals starting at €14.99 a month for one year, while an unlimited priced at €80 a month, €5 less than Deutsche Telekom’s similar offering.

“With us, 5G isn’t just a technology only for high earners,” said Hannes Ametsreiter, CEO of Vodafone Germany.

In terms of devices, it is offering the Huawei Mate 20 X 5G and the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G on the network.