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German mobile networks improve coverage in signal ‘dead zones’

Germany's three major network providers are cooperating to improve mobile coverage in the nation's patchiest areas.

iPhone with no signal
An iPhone shows a "no signal" notice. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Karl-Josef Hildenbrand

According to media reports, two of the network operators have managed to close thousands of so-called “grey spots” in Germany since last summer, making it less likely that people will find themselves with no signal on their travels.

There are still numerous ‘dead zones’ in Germany, with grey spots occurring when only one of the three mobile operators is present in an area, meaning that customers of the remaining two have no reception. 

But operators say they’ve managed to solve this issue by establishing network-sharing agreements with their competitors.

According to Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone, more than 2,000 grey spots were closed last year through the operators pooling their network coverage and the use of their antennas. 

That means that customers of Vodafone can now make use of Telekom networks in many areas where Vodafone signal is patchy and vice versa. 

The operators say that the agreements have been 50/50, with half of the borrowed networks belonging to Vodafone, and half to Deutsche Telekom.

Those who use the Telekom network, for example, now have 1,000 fewer dead spots nationwide.

Despite rapid progress, data from the Federal Network Agency shows that grey zones still affect around 6.4 percent of Germany. 

However, this figure was around 0.4 percent higher last October, and the operators are aiming to eliminate around 1,000 more grey spots by the coming summer.

READ ALSO: New map shows Germany’s mobile ‘dead zones’

O2 to join collaboration

Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone have been working on network sharing since 2020, sparking anger on the part of Germany’s third major network operator Telefónica (O2). 

After an intervention from the Federal Cartel Office, O2 was included in the alliance, though the collaboration is only just getting underway.

According to a Telefónica spokesperson, the first antenna sites will be activated in the coming months.

In total, about 2,000 of its own sites would be made available to other operators – some of them to Telekom and some to Vodafone. In return, Telefónica gets access to the same number of sites from the other two network providers.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How Germany is finally set to improve Wifi and phone signal on trains

Vocabulary

grey spots – (die) graue Flecken

dead zone – (das) Funkloch

network operator – (der) Netzbetreiber 

covered by – abgedeckt von 

We’re aiming to help our readers improve their German by translating vocabulary from some of our news stories. Did you find this article useful? Let us know.

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BUSINESS

Elon Musk visits Tesla’s sabotage-hit German factory

Elon Musk travelled Wednesday to Tesla's factory near Berlin to lend his workers "support" after the plant was forced to halt production by a suspected arson attack on nearby power lines.

Elon Musk visits Tesla's sabotage-hit German factory

The Tesla CEO addressed thousands of employees on arrival at the site, accusing “eco-terrorists” of the sabotage as he defended his company’s green credentials.

With his son X AE A-XII in his arms, Musk said: “I am here to support you.”

The billionaire’s visit came a week after power lines supplying the electric carmaker’s only European plant were set on fire in an act of sabotage claimed by a far-left group called the Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group).

READ ALSO: Far-left group claims ‘sabotage’ on Tesla’s German factory

Musk had said then that the attack was “extremely dumb”, while the company said it would cost it several hundred million euros.

A week on, the lights have come back on at the site, but Andre Thierig, who heads the site, said on LinkedIn that it would “take a bit of time” before production is back to full speed.

Industry experts have warned that the reputational impact caused by the sabotage on the region could be more severe than the losses suffered by Tesla.

Tesla’s German plant started production in 2022 following an arduous two-year approval and construction process dogged by administrative and legal obstacles.

Tesla wants to expand the site by 170 hectares and boost production up to one million vehicles annually to feed Europe’s growing demand for electric cars and take on rivals who are shifting away from combustion engine vehicles.

But the plans have annoyed local residents, who voted against the project in a non-binding ballot last month.

After the vote, Tesla said it might have to rethink the plans. Environmental activists opposed to the expansion of the factory have recently also set up a camp in a wooded area near the plant.

READ ALSO: Why is Tesla’s expansion near Berlin so controversial?

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