BERLIN, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Federal Network Agency sent out a final draft of rules on Friday for closely-watched public tender in which telecommunications companies will compete to provide new 5G mobile network services in Germany.
The document was forwarded by the Bonn-based agency to an advisory committee of politicians who are scheduled to hold conclusive deliberations on the subject until the end of this month.
The action to grant licenses for the new high-speed 5G mobile communications standard is then scheduled to take place at a still undefined date in the spring of 2019.
According to Federal Network Agency's draft on Friday, network operators would be mandated to ensure that high speed mobile internet is made available along all federal highways and country roads, as well as railway lines, by the end of 2024.
The costly expansion of 5G coverage is seen as a key pre-condition for the expansion of self-driving vehicles and the so-called "Internet of Things" (IoT). German industrial manufacturers have also repeatedly drawn attention to the importance of protecting the international competitiveness in an increasingly digitalized world.
The proposed rules for the tender do not explicitly mandate that 5G technology must be available on the identified transportation routes but instead cites minimum data transmission rates for different types of railway lines and roads. Along smaller roads and less-frequently used train connections, operators would still be able to meet the requirements while relying on the previous generation of 4G masts.
Aside from the extent and speed of coverage which successful bidders will be tasked with providing, the draft clarified the position of the government on the contentious issue of "National Roaming" whereby network operators are forced to allow competitors without independent telecommunications infrastructure access to their antennae.
Demands from policymakers to enshrine this practice in law previously sparked a wave protests from major companies such as Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and Telefonica/O2. Under the wording now adopted by the Federal Network Agency, the tender rules merely call for network operators to negotiate potential cooperative schemes with external competitors, although the Bonn-based regulators can interfere as an arbiter and impose fines unless they do so to a sufficient extent.
