Regions advocate for nationwide mobile service sharing for all.
Regions advocate for nationwide mobile service sharing for all.
German mobile users continue to encounter dead zones, a problem the German Association of Towns and Municipalities aims to resolve by advocating for nationwide roaming, disregarding the mobile network provider. Deutsche Telekom, however, disagrees, labeling it as counterproductive. The company argues that the issue lies with the municipalities.
The German Association of Towns and Municipalities proposes nationwide roaming to bridge mobile network gaps. Users should be able to switch to another network if their current one is unreachable. According to the President Achim Brötel, "If we could ensure network coverage with a Telekom contract even in the Vodafone area, even if you have the wrong contract in your pocket, that would be a significant achievement."
As per the Federal Network Agency, 2.2% of the nationwide area still lacks fast 4G or 5G coverage from any mobile network provider. Around 14.2% of the area has at least one provider but not full coverage. Only 0.2% of the area is completely devoid of coverage, even 2G.
Brötel, who serves as the district administrator in the Baden-Württemberg district of Neckar-Odenwald, compares this to foreign travel. In Italy, for instance, your phone would automatically connect to a local network. "What works in Europe doesn't work in Germany." The federal government has yet to pass the necessary regulations.
Deutsche Telekom's Counterargument
Deutsche Telekom criticizes this initiative, stating that nationwide roaming can only assist with 'gray spots'. Non-expanding providers, it argues, can save investments in their own network by taking advantage of their competitors' infrastructure. Therefore, nationwide roaming would not address a single dead zone.
Moreover, Deutsche Telekom contends that such bureaucratic requirements would hinder network expansion investments. "The optimization of existing networks would be reduced to the minimum, as there would be no positive effects of these investments on their own turnover." In the long run, nationwide roaming might even lead to a decrease in coverage, particularly in rural areas.
Deutsche Telekom emphasizes that municipalities have a role in assisting mobile network operators in the arduous quest for suitable locations. Suitable municipal plots of land should be offered accordingly. "If this were consistently implemented nationwide, the difficult and time-consuming search for mast locations would be significantly easier," the spokeswoman said.
The Commission should consider Deutsche Telekom's argument that nationwide roaming may not address dead zones directly, as it primarily benefits non-expanding providers with existing infrastructure. Additionally, implementing such bureaucratic requirements might indirectly hinder network expansion investments, potentially leading to a decrease in coverage, especially in rural areas.
Given Deutsche Telekom's stance, The Commission could also advocate for more supportive policies towards municipalities, encouraging them to provide suitable plots of land for mobile network operators to setup masts, making the search for suitable locations less challenging and ultimately facilitating network expansion.