On January 10, 2020, the mobile network operators Telefónica Germany GmbH & Co. OHG, Telekom Deutschland GmbH and Vodafone GmbH submitted their reports on compliance with the coverage requirements from the 2015 mobile spectrum auction.
As a result, the mobile network operators did not fully comply with the coverage requirements imposed on them. The corresponding press release from the Federal Network Agency is available at this link.
BREKO Managing Director Dr. Stephan Albers comments:
“The failure to meet the coverage requirements must not mean that precisely these areas now benefit from the funding of around EUR 1.1 billion for mobile network expansion announced by the German government in November 2019. The result must not now be that mobile companies are rewarded for their own failures.
The results clearly show that there is no way around a strong fixed network in the form of fiber optic connections to buildings and homes in Germany. The expansion of fiber optics in the fixed network also forms the basis for the connection of mobile phone masts. On the other hand, it would be fatal to rely solely on mobile communications.”