Coverage and obligations

Verification of coverage requirements

Compliance with the coverage requirements set out in the various frequency allocation notices is regularly checked by the Telekom-Control Commission as part of preliminary proceedings.

A company under an obligation usually has to submit data or information specified by the TKK four weeks after the key date from which a specific coverage obligation is to be met, which is suitable to prove compliance with the obligation. The data is checked with regard to their conclusiveness and confirmability. In addition, compliance with requirements can be checked by taking measurements on site. In the past, most obligations were checked through measurements. For this purpose - if this is necessary due to the number of measuring points - a statistical selection of measuring points is made (random sample) in order to keep the financial expenses as low as possible, but nevertheless to obtain a result that is robust enough to have a sufficiently low probability of error, to, if necessary to base the imposition of penalties on it. The costs for any measurement campaigns are to be covered by the companies concerned. In several cases, the review procedures have already led to penalties being imposed in the past, namely when the required coverage has not been fully met. The stipulation of a penalty must be made with administrative decision.

In the next few years, numerous coverage obligations based on the frequency allocation for 2020 in the 700, 1500 and 2100 MHz bands will come into effect and will therefore have to be subjected to verification procedures before the Telekom Control Commission.

Coverage obligations from the procedure for 700, 1500 and 2100 MHz

See coverage obligations for the multiband auction for 700/1500/2100 MHz.

Coverage obligations from the procedure for 800/900/1800 MHz

See coveraqe obligations of the multiband auction for 800/900/1800 MHz.

Covergae obligations narrowband 900/1800 MHz (obsolet)

Narrow band ist understood as a data rate of 12.2kbps.

In the course of the refarming procedure (F6/14, decisions of the TKK of 28.07.2014), technology-neutral conditions replacing GSM requirements were issued.

Previous coverage obligations 2100 MHz (obsolete) 

In the frequency band 2100 MHz coverage obligations have to be fulfilled with a data rate of 144 kbps in down- and uplink.

Coverage obligations 2600 MHz

In the frequency band 2600 MHz coverage obligation have to be fulfilled with a data rate of 1 Mbps in downlink and 256 kbps in uplink.

Coverage obligations 3400 MHz

In the 3400 MHz band a minumum number of base stations is required.

More details on the regional coverage obligations can be found here.