Network Operators Make Progress With Fast Mobile Networks – Gaps Still | 03/20/22

BONN (dpa-AFX) – When it comes to expanding mobile connections, network operators in Germany still have a long way to go to meet their supply commitments in a timely manner. This shows a paper from the Federal Network Agency, available to the German News Agency. The document relates to conditions received by network operators Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone (Vodafone Group) and Telefónica (O2) in the 2019 frequencies auction that must be fulfilled by the end of 2022.

One obligation states that in every federal state, at least 98 percent of households must have a 100 Mbps mobile network to download. Only in four federal states did the three network operators actually comply with this minimum requirement in January 2022, the paper shows.

According to the newspaper, coverage of 100 megabits is already in 100 percent of households in the states of Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg, and 99 percent in North Rhine-Westphalia. The regulatory authority has given a range of percentage coverage for the three operators, in Bavaria, for example, it is between 88 and 98 percent. So the farthest outreach carrier is already 98 percent and the slowest carrier is only 88 percent.

The paper does not show which of the three network operators is slow and which is fast. Telefónica had even more difficulty meeting the demands of the 2015 frequency auction when it came to expansion requirements – the Munich-based company hit the target only late. Telekom and Vodafone had far fewer problems.

According to the Federal Network Agency, no companies in three federal states fulfilled their existing expansion commitments at the beginning of this year, namely in Baden-Württemberg with a range of 95 to 96 percent, Rhineland-Palatinate (90 to 96 percent) and Thuringia. (88 to 95 percent). In ten federal states, at least one of the three network operators was still below the 98 percent mark.

By the end of 2022, 100Mbps download should be ubiquitous on all highways, on the most important federal roads and on railroads with good frequencies. All network operators still have to do homework here: the range achieved on highways is 93 to 99 percent, and on the most important federal highways, companies covered only 90 to 96 percent of the road and on rail 92 to 97 in cent.

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