BERLIN / BONN (dpa-AFX) – The Union faction in the Bundestag has sharply criticized the telecommunications companies for delays in the expansion of the current 4G (LTE) mobile radio standard. “The kidnapping tactics of the mobile network operators is irresponsible,” said deputy union leader Ulrich Lange of the German press agency. For this Monday, the advisory board of the Federal Network Agency has the four major mobile network operators Telekom, Vodafone (Vodafone Group), Telefónica (O2) (Telefonica Deutschland) and the United Internet subsidiary (United Internet) Drillisch (1 & 1) (1 & 1 Drillisch) as well as the German Bahn loaded for discussion.
The subject of the non-public meeting was “Fulfillment of the coverage requirements from the 2015 frequency auction and the implementation of the technical equipment required for this in rail traffic”, the regulatory authority said on request. Her boss Jochen Homann had threatened fines and fines if the operators did not catch up on the mandatory expansion of the fast 4G network quickly enough.
Lange said that politicians had long been calling for more intensive cooperation in network expansion in rural areas. “The network operators are taking this path late and have wasted a lot of time for competitive tactical reasons. This is at the expense of customers, particularly in rural areas.” The CSU politician demanded that the network agency must “use its competencies and uncover the focal points on the network that frequently result in connection breaks”.
With regard to the operator’s demands to extend the deadline, Lange said: “Anyone who claims that he has done all his homework correctly and at the same time asked for a one-year extension can hope for no understanding.” Telekom Germany chief Dirk Wössner had told the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” (Saturday): “We did our homework.” Rather, an expansion acceleration law is needed. “We have to reorganize responsibilities and streamline the complex planning and approval law,” said Wössner.
By the end of 2019, 98 percent of German households should have a download speed of at least 50 MBit per second. The network agency had specified full coverage for motorways and ICE routes. These requirements should prevent operators from neglecting rural regions where expansion is more difficult and expensive. / Bvi / DP / zb
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