German politician complains about state of 4G network in Germany

The German Minister of Economy and Energy, Peter Altmaier, calls the coverage of the 4G network in the country one of Germany’s biggest technology blemishes. According to him, it is unusable for consultation in the car.

According to Altmaier, 99 out of 100 smartphone users in Germany are convinced that they are constantly losing their 4G connection in the country. “I have to say, that happens to me too,” said the minister during an interview with Manager Magazin. He calls this an embarrassment for a technology country like Germany.

He also calls it painful that he has to call in more than once during car journeys, during conversations with foreign ministers. He has therefore asked his employees not to connect when he is in the car. The minister suspects that the telecom companies have not taken into account that many people work in their cars, send e-mail and use the internet on the road.

“And that is why it can happen that you drive on the A2 in the direction of Hanover, where you used to be able to make uninterrupted telephone calls without any problems, that you have the situation there that your connection drops out more often during rush hour.” According to him, this is unbearable and must be repaired.

According to Altmaier, the telecom providers have promised improvement in terms of coverage. According to him, coverage is also a point of discussion with Telefonica, Vodafone and Telekom in the tender for 5g. According to him, four times as many masts are needed for this as with 4g.