The fixed – line and mobile networks have brought to Germany by the Corona-crisis. But not in all places there is a seamless reception. The government wants to be therefore well on its own. In the industry, which met with acclaim – but in moderation.
Berlin (Reuters) – no more “sorry, I don’t have a network”: The government wants mobile to close the radio holes in Germany, and more than a billion euros to spend.
“I am pleased that we promote is now a state-solid,” said transport Minister, Andreas Scheuer (CSU) according to a mobile radio summit with the Federal government, the länder, local authorities and network operators in Berlin. In order to ensure, particularly in rural areas for good cell phone reception, the Confederation with 1.1 billion euros in the future, the construction of radio masts.
Up to 5000 mobile sites should be powered by a new government mobile infrastructure company with a minimum of 4G reception. In addition, the Approval time for new masts, currently an average of 18 to 3 months is reduced.
Although the majority of households is provided in Germany with fast mobile 4G Internet (LTE), there are still some white spots in Germany. Anyone who surfs a lot on the road and on the phone, knows the Problem: you get into more rural areas, or in a train, belong to the dropouts to do this. There you want to go now to the “radio hole hunting”, as he put it, Scheuers Ministry.
the Corona-crisis, in which millions of people at home, working out, movies, concerts, and private Meetings streamed, as passing the Herculean test for the German networks. However, especially in the fixed network-Internet was needed in many cases.
much air is in Digital Germany still up, showed in on Tuesday night not only to massive disruptions in the network of Telekom, but very clearly also in the press conference after the mobile summit, the broke Online-Stream journalists in the home office again and again. Very fitting since it seemed that the Federal Minister, Julia Klöckner (CDU), found a large pent-up demand for the digitisation and explained that in addition to future projects such as smarter agriculture is also a question of, “to be able to from your home from time to smoothly watch a movie”.
Actually, the network operator for nationwide mobile reception in Germany is to make. At the bidding of mobile radio frequencies, they do not commit themselves to meet certain supply requirements, in order to limit the network expansion in lucrative regions with many inhabitants. Nevertheless, there are still a number of radio holes. Especially on main roads, so ICE routes and motorways, remains weak.
in Order to help promote the Federal technical modifications on the trains now, with 150 million euros. The program with 100 percent funding is now on the way, said Scheuer on Tuesday. The target was no longer that of the mobile radio to interrupt the train radio and the networks along the rail lines, better could be developed. There are about 14,000 trains. Part old devices would need to be replaced, only upgraded. 2021 to be completed. Previously it was only promoted on Pro rata basis. The railway welcomed the project. “Deutsche Bahn will drive the technical upgrading quickly, so that our passengers can benefit as soon as possible, of a better reception on the train,” said the rail-Head of the Department for digitization technology, Sabina Jeschke.
Specifically, the new mobile infrastructure company to find out in the next few months, in cooperation with the providers, where a promotion of locations makes concrete sense. This is the case, is not to be expected where is that the network operator would invest to meet the requirements or economic interest in the next few years, even in the Expansion. This point is also in the interest of the industry itself. Network operators and industry organisations have welcomed Tuesday the plans of the Federal government, warned however against harmful competition from a national competitor.
“state aid must be limited to those areas in which it is demonstrably not a self-economic Development, it is foreseeable”, it was called about by the digital Association Bitkom. Some fear that the Federal government could take with the new company too large a role in the Development of the super-fast 5G Standards, at the vendors are still in early stages or not even started.
this faster, had estimated the Federal government in its Corona-stimulus package of five billion euros. “It would, in our view, an incorrect prioritization when necessary, but extremely scarce expansion of capacity would be targeted in such sparsely populated areas are bound,” said Jürgen Grützner from the industry Association VATM. The success of Autonomous Driving and other future applications would not be areas in the last “two percent of the supply,” opt.
cities and counties see it differently. You don’t want to have closed in rural areas, only LTE-gaps, but also fast in the 5G network to come forward. “In some cities, have already begun expansion of the grid must extend as quickly as possible, even in rural areas. To the extent this is not economically possible, must ask the Federal government to the extent of funds available,” said the President of the German district of tags, Reinhard Sager.
