Germany’s mobile operator Telekom, Vodafone and Telefónica want to work together to jointly close 4G holes. For this purpose, the providers should be able to access the antennas of the other providers.

Vodafone and Telekom had already announced “Network Sharing” last autumn . The aim is to close so-called “gray spots” – i.e. locations where not all providers can guarantee 4G network coverage.

“Helped mobile customers” Criticism of the project by Vodafone and Telekom came from the Federal Cartel Office, which feared that competitors such as Telefónica would be disadvantaged. The Cartel Office welcomed the fact that Telefónica now also wants to get involved in the network sharing of the German mobile phone providers: “This also helps mobile phone customers in Germany best. If all providers mutually provide access to the networks of the other providers to close such gaps, for example Avoid disconnections even better. We also prevent individual providers such as Telefónica from being discriminated against in competition, “said the President of the Federal Cartel Office, Andreas Mundt.

The Federal Network Agency also stated is positive about the announced cooperation between the German mobile phone providers. “Cooperation between the operators can make a significant contribution to better mobile phone coverage in Germany,” said Jochen Homann, President of the Federal Network Agency. “We welcome the fact that three companies are now in negotiations.”

The cooperation agreements on 4G cover a total of 1200 Locations at which the transmission technology and the antennas are to be used jointly. The locations are mainly in sparsely populated areas of Germany – there it is difficult to operate the antennas economically. By sharing the locations, the costs for the network operator are lower than if they went it alone. (With material from dpa)

(dahe)