Dobrindt: No more dead spots from 2018

Alexander Dobrindt, the German minister of transport, asserts that areas with no reception will disappear in the next three years. This week the Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Agency for Networks) will start a new auction to sell frequencies for mobile services. The 700 MHz frequencies have been used by public service broadcasting authorities for decades and will soon be used to improve mobile networks. Dobrindt wants telcos to purchase the frequencies in order to develop networks quickly, so that mobile internet is available on highways and trains, and especially in rural areas. Arthur D. Little experts are confident that the auction will be a milestone for broadband in Germany. They expect earnings of up to 2 billion euros. Critics point out that the UMTS auction in 2000 provided earnings of around 50 billion euros – compared to these dimensions the forecasted public broadband subsidies seem small.

Alexander Dobrindt, the German minister of transport, asserts that areas with no reception will disappear in the next three years. This week the Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Agency for Networks) will start a new auction to sell frequencies for mobile services. The 700 MHz frequencies have been used by public service broadcasting authorities for decades and will soon be used to improve mobile networks. Dobrindt wants telcos to purchase the frequencies in order to develop networks quickly, so that mobile internet is available on highways and trains, and especially in rural areas. Arthur D. Little experts are confident that the auction will be a milestone for broadband in Germany. They expect earnings of up to 2 billion euros. Critics point out that the UMTS auction in 2000 provided earnings of around 50 billion euros – compared to these dimensions the forecasted public broadband subsidies seem small.