O2 wants to build more cell phone masts in nature reserves

O2 Telefonica’s sales in the first half of the year were around 4.2 billion euros, down 0.1 percent compared to the same period last year. The operating result (Ebitda) adjusted for special effects increased by 4 percent to 1.3 billion euros. “We have had a good start to the 2024 financial year,” said CEO Markus Haas.

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To ensure that its mobile network is available nationwide in Germany in the future, O2 wants to install more antennas in nature reserves. So far, this has hardly been possible because the authorities have not given the green light, Haas said while presenting the figures in Munich. However, a draft law passed by the federal government a few days ago to accelerate network expansion could change that. “We need these areas,” says Haas, pointing out that four percent of Germany’s area is nature reserves.

Provision of area coverage in 2030

According to a planned regulation by the Federal Network Agency, as early as 2030, the established mobile phone network operators Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and O2 Telefonica must reach 99.5 percent of Germany with a download rate of 50 megabits per second. So far, O2 says it covers 96 percent of Germany with 5G, and by the end of 2025 it should be 100 percent.

Separately introduced federal legislation to accelerate the expansion of telecommunications networks aims to help ensure that this goal is also possible. For example, it states that expanding mobile phone networks is in the “paramount public interest” – this would legally equate it to building wind turbines. Moreover, in the future, telecommunications companies must begin expansion work two months after submitting an application, even if approval has not yet been received.

Until now, the wait times have sometimes been quite long, Haas said. “No approval is given for less than eight or nine months, and cross-country skiers go for two years.” That’s why the law is important. “Today we have no power to get a building permit issued quickly.”

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Many applications were not even submitted

In recent years, O2 has also not submitted many applications for antenna masts in nature reserves. “It was tough: the authorities always told us beforehand: ‘If you submit an application, the chances of success are very low.'” Haas hopes that the law will now be passed quickly by the Bundestag. He says that in the coming year, this could be a favorable outcome for network expansion.

At the end of the first half of the year, O2 recorded 45.6 million mobile phone connections, of which 15.2 million were prepaid and 28.3 million were postpaid. A net 215,000 mobile phone contracts were added in the second quarter. Deutsche Telekom came in first quarter According to the Federal Network Agency 63.2 million mobile phone connections, Vodafone 80.3 million and 1&1 731,000. In addition, 2.4 million O2 customers are connected to broadband internet through the company.

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