Montabaur (dpa) – The major mobile network operators in the in the spring of the upcoming 5G spectrum auction to new competition.
United Internet (web.de, GMX), with its subsidiary 1&1 Drillisch to the auction for the ultra-radio standard-fast mobile to participate, announced the Online group in Montabaur.
It was confident that this was a step “for a successful and long-lasting positioning of the 1&1 Drillisch group as the fourth mobile network operator in Germany”.
the plans of The Internet group were encountered in the network operators Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom and Telefónica in the run-up to a fierce resistance, because 1&1 has, as yet, not have its own network. This Friday, the registration deadline for companies that want to participate in the 5G auction by the Federal network Agency.
1&1 Drillisch currently has about 9 million mobile customers, include the group’s brands yourfone, or smartmobil.de. For comparison: Vodafone in Germany, around 30 million mobile contract customers, and Deutsche Telekom, about 25 million.
So that 1&1 Drillisch, a small market participant, as a mobile Discounter, but he is on the distinguished road. With the expansion of the network we want to make “a major contribution […] that Germany can be the leading market for 5G in Europe”, – stated in the message.
a Long time it was unclear whether the group would make the move to the network operator – billion-dollar investments. Originally, the group chief Executive and founder Ralph Dommermuth had called for a so-called national Roaming.
in This case would be his customers in funk holes everywhere in Germany, with the power of the competition. This is the for the auction, the competent Federal network Agency rejected but, instead, it relies only on a so-called negotiation, bid – established network operators have to negotiate with new entrants such as United Internet through the shared Use of the networks. The Opening up of their networks, they will not be forced.
However, the tips of the Bundestag parliamentary groups of the CDU and the SPD are currently planning a duty for the so-called local Roaming – this would only be in a restricted area to be valid. It is still unclear whether such a stripped down roaming will be mandatory for the 5G Development.
For consumers should be the decision of United Internet, a good message, after all, the competition is fuelled on the mobile communications market this is probably. “The entry of a fourth network operator is to be welcomed from the consumer’s point of view and is likely to drive the speed of the network expansion, as a whole,” said Jens-Uwe Theumer from the price comparison portal Verivox.
However, United Internet still hurdles to be network operators: First of all, the Federal network Agency must allow the company, so that you can participate in the 5G frequency auction in the spring. This should be a formality. You must then prevail in the United the auction for the approximately 20 different frequency blocks against the bidder. The auction could be a total flush is estimated at five billion Euro in the state Treasury.
The authority set for the auction already rules on Procurement, with whom the network operator to the rapid Expansion will be required. However, for new entrants and, thus, United Internet – the exception, not the rules, not to overextend you financially. This annoys, in turn, the previous network operator, you have rules for lawsuits filed against the Award.
United Internet, was founded by entrepreneur Ralph Dommermuth, the 40 per cent of the group. Other large shareholders are the Investmentarm of the Alliance (around 6 percent) and the asset Manager Flossbach von Storch (3 percent). The group has around 9000 employees, of which about 3000 working division in the telecommunications sector – the latter are in addition to the Headquarters in Montabaur, Germany is also in Karlsruhe, Germany, Zweibrücken, Berlin and in Maintal near Frankfurt. Also web.de and GMX belong to the group. 2017 United Internet took over the mobile discounter Drillisch, since then, the group holds 73 percent of the shares in the subsidiary company 1&1 drill.
Torsten Gerpott of the University of Duisburg-Essen has the plans evaluated positively. “The entry of a fourth network operator is a good news for consumers,” said the Professor of business and technology planning. So far, the competition on the German mobile communications market is relatively weak, which may lead, in comparison to other States at high prices, and moderate performance. That United Internet is now a “price aggressive” competitors to the network operator will, at times, the competition – this is of benefit to the end customers, because the performance tends to improve.
Gerpott from the mobile market in Germany will be a bad testimony. In Austria, however, the radio was cheaper and better. The Situation in Germany is in a “tight oligopoly” – the three existing network operators dominated the market, without getting heavily in the way.
Until 2014, in Germany there were four network operators, but Telefónica and E merged. Now, four network operators will be there again – so everything will be like it used to? Gerpott shakes his head. E-Plus had participated largely in the harmless side by side the competitors. United Internet to price compete with their low-price different – that’ll put the place deer are under a tremendous amount of pressure, says Gerpott.
it is Clear that, Financially, will have to United Internet routes at the ceiling. As the company announced, banks have additional credit lines in the amount of EUR 2.8 billion newly available. In addition, it should be checked whether the dividend has to be reduced, so that “additional investment resources for building a powerful mobile network available”.
A similar business model as 1&1, Drillisch, Freenet, also the competitor from the Schleswig-Holstein does not have its own network. Freenet is not with power but at the auction. This is no Surprise. Interesting is a financial estimation of Freenet-chief Christoph Vilanek in the “Handelsblatt” (Friday) is: at Least ten billion euros would be the cost of a new mobile network, he says.
dpa
