Germany to invest €1.1bn to boost mobile connectivity

Germany is to invest €1.1 billion in an attempt to boost mobile connectivity, according to reports in the German press.

The Stuttgarter Zeitung newspaper quoted a federal government minister as saying that the country would build an additional 5,000 mobile masts to boost connectivity across the country. The German government hopes that this investment will provide near-ubiquitous mobile network coverage by 2024.

The announcement is in addition to last week’s commitment by Germany’s mobile network operators to build an additional 6,000 masts, in a bid to boost rural connectivity.

The news comes as the key stakeholders and decision-makers in Germany’s mobile and fixed-line telecoms sector meet in Frankfurt for the inaugural edition of Connected Germany. Speakers will discuss the key challenges facing Germany, as it looks to kickstart its own gigabit revolution.

Earlier this week, the Irish Times reported that a leading German think tank had recommended that the government must spend at least €500 million on boosting its 4G network coverage. Germany has one of the poorest 4G availability rates in Europe. Opensignal’s most recent report showed that millions of Germans living in rural communities had access to a 4G connection less than half of the time.

source totaltele

Industry: Telecommunications