On Monday, Telekom Deutschland announced that its cooperation with Autobahn, which was initially announced in May, is accelerating the expansion of the mobile network on German motorways. The first jointly implemented mobile phone mast has now been installed on the A1 in Saarland, with plans for an additional 400 cell towers. These developments are expected to double the network speeds and reduce the number of dropped calls, according to the joint statement.
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Mobile Network Expansion
Telekom Deutschland announced that the first cooperative cell phone tower on the motorway is now operational at the Schellenbach rest area. In the future, 5G and 4G LTE with at least 200 Mbps will be available across all motorways in Germany, for which Autobahn will provide Telekom with the necessary space in the immediate vicinity of the road.
Telekom Germany said, "We are pleased that we can now go full speed ahead with the expansion of mobile communications along the motorway. In the past, the selection and coordination of new cell phone sites was a lengthy process. The cooperation with Autobahn GmbH has shortened this significantly. This is demonstrated by the speed with which we were able to build the first mast on the A1, from signing the cooperation to implementation in just six months. We want to offer our customers the best possible mobile phone coverage across the entire motorway network."
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5G Coverage on the Highways
According to the statement, since May of this year, both Autobahn and Telekom have been working together to enable seamless 5G coverage on the highways. Autobahn said it takes its responsibility for safe sustainable, and future-proof transport routes seriously and makes areas available for mobile phone coverage, creating the conditions for autonomous and connected mobility for tomorrow.
Operating Frequencies
Telekom said the mobile mast at the Schellenbach rest area provides 2G, 4G and 5G network coverage and operates on the 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz frequency bands.
"The next three mobile phone stations have already been selected: the motorway locations in Heidesheim, Hauxberg, and Wolfratshausen. Construction of the masts at these chosen locations will commence as soon as the necessary building permits are obtained. This also applies to the new mast in Schellenbach, which is currently a mobile solution. However, this does not impact the radio quality," said Telekom.
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Site Selection and Future Plan
According to Telekom, up to 75 additional new mobile phone sites will be selected by the end of the year, and this number will increase to around 200 new locations by the middle of next year. The locations for all 400 planned new cell phone masts along the highway should be determined by the end of 2024. Currently, around 6,300 cell towers along the highways in Germany provide mobile telephony and internet access.
