This Thursday, a summit on mobile telephony with representatives of companies and Länder is held in Berlin to talk about the miserable state of networks in Germany.
Good mobile connections with high transmission rates are becoming increasingly important for citizens and businesses. The federal government has strong pressure: Next spring, the frequencies for the future 5G mobile standard will be auctioned.
In the coalition agreement, it was agreed to bid for new frequencies only "against national coverage." Balser Kleßen-Görne
What does it mean to live in an empty space on the mobile phone card? Joachim Tessenow, 51, knows it all too well. From his house in the village of 360 Kleßen-Görne in Brandenburg, he has to walk a few hundred meters along the road to find a connection. The client of his construction company from other parts of Germany, he could hardly explain why he is often inaccessible for hours, says the man, who is also honorary mayor. The fire department has completely different problems. During operations, the digital contact with the control center breaks. It is only when the wind blows from the west that the Kleßen-Görner sees a bar on the phone – unless it's raining. It's a bit like in the Third World, complains Tessenow.
The small town north-east of Berlin represents an annoying phenomenon throughout Germany. Especially in rural areas, connections are sometimes miserable. This Wednesday, Telekom bought the village from the absence of speech and set up two radio antennas. German Digital Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) came to Kleßen-Görne. As early as Thursday, Scheuer wants to look for solutions for the whole country at a mobile summit with representatives of companies and Länder in Berlin. "We are impatient," he says. The state of the nets is simply unacceptable for an economic nation.
He is still everyday life. There are no reliable statistics on the number of people in Germany who are cut off from the mobile network. But even cautious estimates suggest that the land of nearly two million people is in serious trouble because the nearest cell tower is too far away. Deutsche Telekom has a good network coverage of 80% in the region, making it the leading provider. In the competition one is often in the radio hole
The construction of additional masts is often not profitable
The three main suppliers Telekom, Vodafone and mother O2 Telefonica provide mainly conurbations with good connections. In the countryside, business is less lucrative for them. In the Bavarian Forest, in Mecklenburg or Lusatia, the construction of additional masts does not pay off.
On the other hand, customers can do little. There is no right to receive a mobile phone. And mobile operators already meet the network coverage requirements of 96% of the population, with only one offer to their customers. In addition, the relevant federal network agency relies on business information. And the requirements are focused on economic efficiency. Even when in doubt, the authorities generally do not allow confrontation in court.
Time is running out. In fact, even in a few years, automatic cars will cross Germany and pacemakers will also be digitally monitored in the countryside. Good mobile connections with high transmission rates are becoming increasingly important in all areas of life. In the fight for better networks, the federal government wants to launch a radio hole detector this year – a complaint application for those affected. It is only if the government knows where there are white dots that it can kick suppliers, they say in Berlin
pressure medium 5G frequencies
Andreas Scheuer left, CSU) and Walter Goldenits, technical director of Telekom Germany, en route to the official inauguration of a mobile radio mast in Kleßen Görne
(Photo: dpa)
Because the federal government has a strong power of influence. Next spring, the frequencies of the future 5G mobile standard will be auctioned. It is billions of dollars. Union and SPD agreed in the coalition agreement to bid for new frequencies only "against national coverage". Scheuer had therefore tried before the summit Thursday to urge suppliers to close the radio holes until the end of 2021 – and binding indeed. In return, they should obtain fair conditions at the auction.
However, according to information from government circles, until now there was no result. It was still not clear if the summit would bring resolutions. Until Thursday, Scheuer wants to talk with the boards of directors of Telekom, Vodafone and Telefonica. There is talk of a "willingness to compromise"
The opposition fears that the Germans will not even be worse off. "The mobile network is slowing down because network expansion is not keeping up with the growing volume of data," said Green Party Vice President Oliver Krischer. For years, Germany has been lagging behind in mobile communications on the back seats in Europe. In Albania, the coverage of the network is better
At Kleßen-Görne at least the first bars appeared on mobile phones at noon. "The many years of struggle have been worthwhile," said Mayor Tessenow. The village could become a symbol for departure in a new net age, greeted Scheuer, the boss of Telekom Timotheus Höttges had brought to set up the poles. "After a few discussions, he gave up," said Scheuer. At Telekom, however, there is no model for the whole country: two masts for 400,000 € and less than 400 inhabitants. Of course, this is not economically feasible – and will probably remain an exception.
