Bundesnetzagentur publishes 5G network coverage
Year of issue 2021
Date of issue 2021.12.09
The Bundesnetzagentur has updated its mobile network coverage map to provide information on 5G in Germany for the first time.
5G coverage
The Bundesnetzagentur's data show that by the end of October 2021, over 53% of the country was already covered with the latest mobile communications standard, 5G, from at least one provider.
The 3.6 GHz spectrum, which was auctioned off in 2019 for exclusive use for 5G, is initially being employed in urban areas by all network operators. Particularly high data rates are therefore only achieved in densely populated regions to start with.
To nevertheless reach a high level of coverage with 5G, the network operators Telekom and Vodafone are using Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) in parallel. DSS enables the existing 4G infrastructure to be used for 5G as well, with the spectrum being shared between the two technologies according to demand.
4G and 3G coverage
Around 96% of the country is now covered by at least one mobile network operator with the dominant mobile communications standard, 4G (LTE).
The shutdown of 3G technology, which started at the beginning of the year, is nearly complete. When the data were recorded at the end of October 2021, only about 13.3% of the country was covered by 3G. Telekom and Vodafone turned their 3G networks off completely in the summer. Telefónica is expected to have completed this step by the end of the year. The spectrum freed up in this way will be used for the more efficient 4G and 5G networks.
Turning off the 3G network has not had a negative effect on the coverage situation. The proportion of the country affected by white and grey spots has fallen and is now about 3.9% for white and about 6.8% for grey spots. White spots are places where there is no mobile broadband available. In grey spots, only one network operator offers mobile broadband. The share of dead spots, where there is no mobile coverage at all, has also fallen slightly to 0.36%.
The Bundesnetzagentur's mobile communications monitoring
For its mobile communications monitoring, the Bundesnetzagentur collects coverage data from network operators, compares these data and checks them for plausibility with the results from users of the dead spot app and data from its own radio monitoring and inspection service.
In line with the determinations of the mobile communications strategy, the Bundesnetzagentur carries out a systematic monitoring of mobile coverage broken down by provider, as also set out in the new Telecommunications Act (TKG).
Data are updated regularly and published at www.breitband-monitor.de/mobilfunkmonitoring.