Germany's network agency wants full mobile coverage by 2030
Germany's three mobile telecoms providers should be obliged to cover almost the entire country by 2030, Klaus Müller, head of the Federal Network Agency, said in Berlin on Monday.
Under Müller's plan, Deutsche Telekom, O2 Telefónica und Vodafone would have to cover 99.5% of the country with a download rate of at least 50 megabits per second.
The plans represent the first stipulation on area coverage and increase the providers' obligations. Previously, the coverage referred to households, leading to poor coverage in thinly populated regions.
At the start of the year, Deutsche Telekom offered 4G coverage over 91.6% of Germany, Vodafone 91.3% and O2 86.4%.
This information from the providers on 4G coverage is not directly comparable with the agency's aim of 50 megabits per second and could provide lower download rates.
Müller stressed the significance of improved coverage. The new rules were ambitious but appropriate, he said.
In return for near-overall coverage, the licences held by the operators for certain frequencies are to be extended by five years.
The new stipulations represent a draft set of rules, with a final decision due in the autumn.
