Start of fast mobile networks in danger

The Federal network Agency sees rapid adoption of mobile wireless Standards 5G is in danger. Politicians of the CDU and the SPD want to force the mobile network operators to provide in rural areas a kind of Roaming. The Kalebet operator will see the critical and the Federal network Agency shares the concerns. the By Markus Balser, Berlin Markus Balser

Markus Balser came in 2001 to the süddeutsche Zeitung. He is a graduate of the Cologne school of journalism and a diploma in Economics and was first in the economy editorial office in Munich. In 2013, he went to Berlin and reported from there on energy and environmental issues. At the beginning of 2016, he joined the parliamentary team and takes care of to transport and agricultural policies, as well as to the Deutsche Bahn. In 2007, Balser was Nannen, together with Klaus Ott and Hans Leyendecker for the research to the Siemens bribe scandal with the Henri award. In 2008, he was a scholarship holder of the Arthur F. Burns fellowship, a guest editor of the Wall Street Journal in New York.

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consequences of The rapid introduction of new mobile radio standards 5G to burst. In a fire, the letter, the Federal network Agency to the German Federal ministries for economy and transport has sent, to warn the authority of the Federal government is strongly of the subsequent guidelines for the Telecom companies. Such a Change even before the for spring the planned auction of frequencies would lead to "significant legal uncertainties and the auction jeopardize the procedure," writes the Department of the Bonn-based authority.

policy, consumers and industry are placing great hopes on the new mobile radio standard. The coalition agreement of the Federal government, he is to propel Germany to the top of the digital infrastructure. 5G to transfer data up to 20 Times faster than the current LTE network. But above all, it allows the connected devices to communicate virtually in real time. This is especially useful for industrial applications, such as Autonomous Driving or new applications in industrial production. However, the 5G network requires poles to a completely new infrastructure with Thousands of new radio.

The Problem could be, according to the Federal network Agency now, parts of the Federal tags to force in the fight against radio holes, the so-called local Roaming. Here, mobile phone users would be connected in a radio hole automatically and free of charge with the network of another telecommunications group. Network operators see the extremely critical. You would have to allow competitors the use of its own cell towers and warn against this Background, in front of a devaluation of their investment.

politicians of the CDU and the SPD do not want to accept the current proposal

The network Agency saw the ultimately similar, and renounced the Instrument, as presented at the end of November the rules for the frequency auction. You wrote the company, only that companies have to negotiate with each other about the common use of poles. Thus, leading politicians of the Bundestag does not want to resign, however. Union and SPD parliamentarians had therefore launched an Initiative for a change in the law. In circles of the Federal government, you have good chances to be given. A so-called "Formulation" on Amending the telecommunications act to allow network Agency to force Roaming. First of all, the FAZ had reported.

The line Agency, Writing and, critically, also if you got this more Power. The experts believe that the push back could be whipped. They fear that the network coverage to the mobile radio Standard of the future could be worse instead of better. With a view to the legal uncertainties is questionable "whether and to what extent a network is investing operators in the further network expansion, especially in rural areas, if he has to leave, in retrospect, competitors on its network." Could be circles, according to information from Authorities that no providers installed more cell towers in rural areas. The auction process as a Whole apparatus, therefore, in danger. The authority would not comment on Friday to the process.