The mobile phone connection is often a nuisance when driving on German motorways. But Telekom is now stepping up and improving its cell phone network very close to the motorway – and thus putting the competition under pressure.
Does the connection hold? This is not a given for travelers on German motorways. There is no complete coverage on many routes across Germany. But the provider Deutsche Telekom is making progress in expanding its cell phone network on motorways.
The first new radio mast operates on the A1
Today, the Bonn-based group wants to put the first new radio mast into operation at the A1 Schellenbach rest area in Saarland as part of a cooperation with Autobahn GmbH. This transmits in the 2G, 4G and 5G standards in various frequencies between 800 and 2100 megahertz.
The State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Transport Oliver Luksic (FDP) sees the commissioning of the first radio mast as a success. “The federal government’s goal is to make the most modern mobile communications standard available across the board – our traffic arteries have particular priority.”
The goal: less Disconnections
A total of 400 new Telekom locations will be built along German motorways – exactly where will be determined by the end of 2024. In any case, in the future they should be located significantly closer to the road than other masts and therefore enable good connections.
Download speeds of at least 200 megabits per second should be possible. This means that transmission is twice as fast as at other locations that only meet the government’s 100 megabit requirement. The number of connection interruptions should be minimized.
According to its own information, Telekom currently has around 6,300 cell phone masts along the highways. But they are not as well located as the new facilities will be. The cooperation with Autobahn GmbH, announced in May, provides for a simplified and quick location search including construction planning. The fact that the first antennas are activated less than half a year later is actually quick.
Vodafone and the O2 group are lagging behind
This news may please users of Deutsche Telekom’s D1 network – but what is the competition doing? Vodafone and Telefónica Deutschland (O2) are also relying on solidarity with the federal company. But they are nowhere near as advanced as the Magenta Group.
A Vodafone spokesman says that they have “agreed on a similar agreement” with Autobahn GmbH, which is about to be signed. It will take some time before the first Vodafone antennas are activated, which can transmit close to the road as part of this collaboration.
An O2 spokesman says they are “currently in constructive discussions” with Autobahn GmbH. “At the end of these discussions there could be a cooperation agreement that would, for example, enable the construction of additional locations on motorways and rest areas.”
No complete coverage with 4G yet
According to a report by the Federal Network Agency, Deutsche Telekom covered 98.0 percent of federal highways with 4G connections this summer, Vodafone covered 97.7 percent and Telefónica 97.6 percent. The percentage values are lower for the 5G radio standard.
Even if the difference to 100 percent for 4G may seem small at first glance, the missing percentage points make it clear that there is still no complete coverage on many routes across Germany. In addition, there may be difficulties when travelers change radio cells.