Despite the high prices, the product is not right for Germany’s mobile phone providers.
(Photo: imago images / photothek)
Switzerland is a beautiful country with excellent infrastructure. Visitors from Germany easily notice that the mobile phone networks in the neighbors are as they should be: reliable and fast.
In the relevant comparative tests, for example, Swisscom recently came out on top in the German-speaking countries. While in Germany railways and network operators are still struggling to supply tunnels in 2023, the Swiss had already systematically equipped their Gotthard base tunnel with antennas in 2016.
The supply is also so good because it was decidedly wanted – and the government and mobile phone companies do not primarily pay attention to their income. In Germany, people apparently lost awareness of the value of a first-class infrastructure years ago – this is also evident in the case of railways or digital services.
In this country, reliable mobile phone coverage cannot even be achieved with the help of the grotesquely convoluted sets of rules that are fought for by everyone involved before every frequency auction. This only became apparent in January, when the Federal Network Agency once again found that the companies had not met their requirements from 2019.
The providers were then threatened with fines, although, as usual, it is unclear whether the fines will actually be imposed. The haggling does not help the credibility of authorities and politicians. It is difficult to convey to outsiders that the industry regularly falls short of its promises – and yet can successfully beg for mercy.
This is a problem for both the economy and society. In private conversations, even executives from the telecommunications industry admit that they are sometimes ashamed of the inadequate supply.
>> Read also: Minister Wissing wants to help mobile operators expand the network
It is a privilege to be able to use a rare public good such as mobile phone frequencies. Telekom, Vodafone and Telefónica make good money and should do everything they can to offer their customers the best possible product out of self-respect. After all, they pay well for it.
More: How the telecom industry ripped off the federal government.