According to Deutsche Telekom, cell phone connections on the 13,000 kilometers of German autobahn will be significantly faster in the next few years. Until now, network operators have stipulated a minimum bandwidth of 100 Mbit/s. Now Deutsche Telekom has promised data rates for 5G and LTE of 200 Mbit/s on motorways. This is to be achieved by 2027 with 400 additional mobile sites and the modernization of existing systems. The group currently has a good 6,000 locations along the routes.
The agreement with the federally owned Autobahn GmbH provides for a simplified and faster location search including construction planning. In addition, the company will provide Telekom with space right next to the roadway so that new masts can also be built on embankments, in rest areas or at construction yards. The federal government is giving Telekom new opportunities to make progress with network expansion. The federal company is aiming for comparable agreements with the other two German network operators Vodafone and Telefónica (O2).
Telekom wants to close gaps, including in tunnels
“We shift up a gear on the Autobahn”, says the head of technology at Telekom Germany, Abdu Mudesir. The last gaps will be closed and the supply in the motorway tunnels will be improved. “People traveling should be connected in the best possible way.”
The Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Transport, Oliver Luksic (FDP), rated the start of the cooperation as a “milestone”. With the nationwide coverage of the 5G mobile communications standard, new fields of application in the area of autonomous, networked and sustainable mobility could be opened up. “We aim to significantly improve connectivity on our traffic routes,” said Luksic. “This is an important prerequisite for promoting our innovative strength and strengthening competitiveness and prosperity in Germany.”
Obligation to nationwide 100 Mbit/s
With the agreement, Telekom goes beyond state expansion obligations. A corresponding specification from the 2019 frequency auction states that every network operator must cover all motorways with at least 100 megabits per second from the beginning of 2023. All three network operators reported to the network agency that they were complying with this obligation. The supervisory authority is currently examining whether this is also true.
However, according to the Federal Network Agency’s list of conditions, the mobile phone network obligation does not apply where expansion is “legally and actually” not possible – for example because no property owner is willing to rent out his land as a radio tower site. The connection is also sometimes poor in tunnels or in nature reserves. In the future, drivers can also end up in a dead zone, even though the expansion requirements have been met.
Vodafone and Telefónica are also working on the expansion
And what do the Telekom competitors say? A Vodafone spokesman emphasized that the network expansion would continue. To this end, Vodafone is “in regular and constructive exchange” with the Autobahn GmbH des Bundes. A Telefónica spokesman pointed out that the O2 network along the motorways had already been improved and that the expansion there would continue in the future.
(fds)
