For operators with relatively new and modern 4G networks, upgrading base stations and antennas to 5G can be primarily a software update rather than an old-style rip-and-replace. Deutsche Telekom, for instance, has announced the software upgrade of an additional 15,000 antennas for 5G, serving Nuremberg and Hanover among other cities, as well as rural areas like Schwanebeck in the Harz Mountains and Westerland on Sylt. These are using 2.1 GHz refarmed 3G spectrum, joining some of the antennas already converted, which are in the 3.6 GHz band. The telco is already providing 5G coverage to over 16m people in Germany, spanning over 1,000 towns and cities. The operator claims that, in the rural areas, the network is achieving more than twice its previous…