On receipt
The problem child is catching up: Stiftung Warentest evaluates mobile networks
Having fun has reception. (icon picture)
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In Germany you have the choice between Telekom, Vodafone and O2 for mobile communications. And even if the end result is not surprising, the test shows an amazing catch-up race.
The selection of mobile phone networks in Germany is not large, but the differences were huge until a few years ago. While Telekom was mostly convincing and Vodafone was usually able to keep up, O2 had to admit defeat again and again. In the current network test by Stiftung Warentest, however, there is now a surprise: the eternal third has caught up and is no longer inferior to the top dogs in some disciplines.
For the test, the Stiftung Warentest moved across the country and, according to its own statements, reeled off 4,000 kilometers of road, while surfing the Internet was automated throughout with every provider. This should create a picture of the network coverage that is as accurate as possible. In addition, the testers made 5,000 phone calls, around 1,770 per provider.
All are good”
The result: The previous ranking remains unchanged, but all network operators are now “good”. Telekom is rated 1.6, which is a notch better than Vodafone when it comes to Internet. This may also be due to the fact that, according to Stiftung Warentest, their 5G expansion is currently progressing noticeably more slowly than at Telekom. With a rating of 1.7, Vodafone is almost on par.
O2 ends up – as before – in third place. But: With a grade of 1.9 (“good”), the gap has narrowed noticeably, in 2017 it was only enough for O2 for a “satisfactory” (2.6) despite less strict criteria. The Stiftung Warentest praises an increased voice quality and an equivalent Internet with regard to the competitors. With O2, you still have to make cutbacks with 5G outside of cities.
Its a lot to do
So everything fine? Unfortunately, no. In comparison, the individual providers are doing well, but overall there is still a lot to do, according to the testers. When it comes to 5G, many masts are missing across Germany to comprehensively accelerate the transmission speed of data and exploit the potential of wireless technology.
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Stiftung Warentest also complains about large “white spots” – i.e. dead spots. During the measurements, places were still found across the country where either no or only one provider enabled reception. That has to change, they say.
You can find the full test for a fee at test.de.