Telekom improves its cell phone network on the highway
Deutsche Telekom is making progress in expanding its cell phone network on freeways, putting pressure on its competitors Vodafone and O2. The Bonn-based company announced that it was putting the first new radio mast into operation on Monday as part of a cooperation with Autobahn GmbH at the A1 Schellenbach service area in Saarland. This will transmit in the 2G, 4G and 5G standards in various frequencies between 800 and 2100 megahertz.
By the end of 2024, it should be clear where a total of 400 new Telekom sites will be located along the highways. In future, they will be much closer to the road than other radio masts and will therefore provide good connections. At least 200 megabits per second should be possible for downloads. This means that transmission will be twice as fast as at other locations, which only meet a government 100 megabit requirement. The number of dropped connections should be minimized.
The cooperation with Autobahn GmbH was announced in May. It provides for a simplified and fast site search including construction planning.
Vodafone and Telefónica Deutschland (O2) are also working closely with the federal company, but are nowhere near as far along as the Magenta Group. A Vodafone spokesperson says that a similar agreement has been reached with Autobahn GmbH "and is about to be signed". An O2 spokesperson says that they are "currently in constructive talks" with Autobahn GmbH. He also emphasizes that the network is already being expanded on freeways and in a targeted manner, i.e. without cooperation with Autobahn GmbH. This also applies to Vodafone.
Source: www.dpa.com
