Telekom Deutschland (TD), the domestic operating unit of Deutsche Telekom (DT), has applied to the Federal Network Agency (FNA, known locally as the Bundesnetzagentur or BNetzA) for permission to use 700MHz frequencies. The firm says it hopes to use the new spectrum from the first half of this year to expand high-speed mobile broadband services to rural and unserved areas. The frequencies are suitable for the rapid development of an LTE network in rural areas and will also lay the foundation for the future 5G network there.
Telekom says it paid for the 700MHz spectrum back in 2015, but it has not been able to use it due to the ongoing migration of digital broadcasting services and a lack of border coordination with neighbouring countries.