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For years, cell phone users have been amazed that they have no reception in places that network operators don't describe as “blank spots”.

The reason for this is simple: there may actually be a cellular network there - just not that of your provider.

These areas are therefore referred to as “gray spots”.

For the users without reception, however, it makes no difference.

You are sitting in the dead zone.

The three network operators in Germany now want to end this situation as far as possible.

For this they have now signed a declaration of intent with which they want to help each other.

The deal is simple: If the customers of a network operator have no reception at one location, they can use the network of the competition - and vice versa.

Just as users automatically log into foreign networks when traveling abroad, this will also work in Germany in the future.

The difference: Users don't notice anything because the name of their network operator is still shown on their display.

Cooperation is a small revolution

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The cooperation between the network operators in Germany is a small revolution.

They have shared antenna locations in the past, so that Vodafone, for example, was allowed to install its own antennas and technology on a Telekom frame for a fee.

But with the cooperation that has now been announced, the companies are going further.

Competitor customers will be able to use their own network in the future.

The operators are thus introducing roaming within Germany at these locations.

That should improve the quality of all mobile networks in Germany.

Because there are gaps above all on traffic routes and in rural regions.

It is often difficult for cell phone operators to operate an antenna economically there.

The collaboration that has now been agreed enables dead zones to be closed without additional investments.

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"We can create even more network with fewer masts," said Hannes Ametsreiter, head of Vodafone Germany.

"Cooperations like this strengthen Germany's infrastructure - and also bring reception where it previously left something to be desired."

Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone started such a collaboration a year ago.

The companies wanted to make around 2000 antenna locations accessible to each other and thus close 4000 gray spots.

But there were objections in discussions with the Federal Network Agency and the Federal Cartel Office.

"A cooperation between Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone without the participation of Telefónica would be problematic from our point of view," said Andreas Mundt, President of the Federal Cartel Office.

The Cartel Office therefore pushed for the cooperation to be extended to Telefónica.

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This is also the best way to help mobile customers in Germany.

"If all providers mutually obtain access to the networks of the other providers to close such gaps, connection interruptions, for example, can be avoided even better," said Mundt.

"In addition, we prevent individual providers such as Telefónica from being discriminated against in competition."

A lot is at stake for Telefónica.

Compared to its competitors Telekom and Vodafone, Telefónica's O2 network is weaker.

A cooperation between Vodafone and Telekom would have increased the competitive edge.

"The resulting advantage would be practically impossible for Telefónica to catch up because locations are affected where additional expansion is usually uneconomical," says the Federal Cartel Office.

Against this background, an agreement has now been reached between Telefónica on the one hand and Vodafone and Telekom on the other.

According to Telefónica, 2,400 locations are affected.

The cooperation between the network operators provides for a one-to-one consideration: a separate location must be made available for each location used.

According to the company, only the 4G network is shared.

With their partnerships, the companies are also responding to pressure from all sides who are pushing for better mobile communications coverage.

"German consumers and the economy are demanding rapid progress in mobile communications," said Markus Haas, head of Telefónica in Germany.

This requires a joint effort by all those involved.

"The cooperative sharing of locations is an important step on this path and sends out a good signal to Germany's mobile phone customers."

In addition to the Cartel Office, the Federal Network Agency has also given its approval.

"With a view to better broadband coverage of the population, the activities of the mobile network operators must be emphatically supported," it says there.

However, gray spots are only a concern of cell phone users in Germany.

There are still regions in which none of the three network operators has coverage.

In order to close these white spots, the providers signed an agreement in principle in autumn 2019 to build almost 6,000 new locations.

Each network operator must build proportionally and grant access to the other parties involved.

In contrast to roaming, this is about using infrastructures such as radio masts and power supply together.

The operators must install the antennas and the transmission technology themselves.