O2 Telefónica and Telekom are working together to close mobile network gaps in rural areas.
The two companies have been working more closely together since last year to improve mobile coverage and are now jointly providing better mobile communications in the so-called "gray spots." With mutual access to 200 mobile sites each, the two mobile network operators have now launched the live operation of their cooperation. By the end of the year, both network operators will grant each other reciprocal access to up to 700 sites each. In this way, they will improve mobile coverage for several 100,000 people throughout Germany.
In their "Gray Spots Cooperation", the providers will each grant each other bilateral access to the network technology of the operator that has been active there alone up to now. With this cooperation, no second separate radio technology or additional antennas have to be installed on the cell tower. Particularly in sparsely populated or frequented areas, it is uneconomical for operators to set up separate infrastructures and operate them with their own network technology. At the same time, this approach conserves resources in construction and operation. At the site, the operators offer all customers fast 4G access on the long-range 800 megahertz frequency band.
Additional coverage for customers in the O2 network at around 2,000 locations
The first stations of a similar cooperation between O2 Telefónica and Vodafone Deutschland were also recently connected to the network. Customers of both network operators will receive reciprocal network access at over 1,100 additional locations each. Customers of O2 Telefónica, its partner brands and the national roaming partner will be provided with fast 4G mobile reception at up to 2,000 additional locations in the coming months via these two collaborations.
O2 Telefónica CEO Markus Haas
German consumers and the economy need rapid progress in mobile coverage. The cooperative shared use of sites of the three network operators active throughout Germany is an important step. The spectrum used at 800 MHz underscores how important an extension of the rights to use this frequency band is for the active network operators and the coverage of rural regions.
Srini Gopalan, responsible for business in Germany at Telekom
We are leaders in fixed network and mobile communications - and yet Telekom will not digitize Germany alone. We see digitization as a team sport; it is best achieved together. With O2 Telefónica, we are making an important contribution to providing even more people and companies in predominantly rural areas with uninterrupted mobile communications.