German regulator seeks better rural coverage.

clohamon

German regulator is seeking high area coverage in exchange for 5 year licence extensions in 800 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz bands. Also planning spectrum sharing and 'negative' auctions for the future.

https://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/1013902

50 Mbps for 99.5% of the surface area from 2030;

100 Mbps for 99% of households in rural communities in each federal state from 2029;

A coverage obligation specifically for rural areas and an obligation relating to surface area would help to promote equivalent standards of living in urban and rural areas," said Klaus Müller, President of the Bundesnetzagentur.

In contrast Ireland’s ComReg has preferred revenue maximisation and arcane spectrum auctions that result in a net disinvestment in rural coverage by the State - effectively a tax on rural coverage.

clohamon

…..meanwhile back in Ireland, Denis Naughten, onetime Minister for Communications, suggests his former department is blocking an industry proposal for universal rural mobile coverage.

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2024-06-20/35/#pq-answers-35

The difficulty is that the task force [Mobile & Broadband Taskforce]has now been usurped by the Department of communications in terms of its own digital strategy, which is based on EU targets. These EU targets are based on continental Europe, where population densities are very different from what they are here. As the Minister knows, the telecoms operators have proposed a unified mobile phone network in the non-commercial rural parts of the country to provide universal coverage throughout the country. This is not being progressed…..