Editorial
5G with a crutch
When I recently returned from Austria, the first thing I noticed when I crossed the border was my mobile internet: Instead of LTE, the only network available for a few kilometers was Edge.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case, as conversations with colleagues and companies show. Laughter usually follows. But seriously: when young, well-trained foreign specialists visit the "high-tech country Germany", what will they remember - how great we are in mechanical engineering or that they unfortunately couldn't send any pictures of their tour because the network left a lot to be desired?
This leads to the next point of discussion: while the Germans are still in the process of allocating frequencies, our Swiss neighbors are showing how the technology is being implemented: As of May 16, 5G is already available in 45 cities, with nationwide connectivity coming at the end of the year.
Why are the Swiss so fast? Quite simply, they have a well-functioning 4G network that they can build on with 5G technology. Another point is probably that the network operators did not have to spend horrendous sums of money on the frequency bands. This was also ensured by the Federal Communications Commission ComCom, which was responsible for awarding the frequencies: The aim of the frequency allocation was "not the highest possible auction proceeds, but an efficient frequency allocation to ensure excellent mobile radio coverage in Switzerland". There was also a bidding restriction to prevent prices from skyrocketing.
And we Germans? The Federal Network Agency is happy about extraordinary revenues of over 5 billion euros, the network operators are happy about the lack of money for the 5G expansion and we are looking forward to the next trip to Switzerland.
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