With the digital transformation comes the demand for stable and reliable mobile network coverage, no matter where we are. Whether in the city or in the countryside, seamless mobile coverage enables a constant connection to the network, ensures economic competitiveness and strengthens social participation.
For this reason, it was important for the state of Brandenburg to obtain an accurate picture of the state-wide mobile coverage quality. In order to collect the necessary data, the Digital Agency Brandenburg (DABB) commissioned aconium GmbH and GESBRO mbH to carry out a complete survey of the federal state. In 2020, several measuring vehicles drove the entire road network of Brandenburg within a few weeks and covered a total of 40,727 kilometers. Around 24.7 million measured values were recorded, providing an accurate picture of the quality of mobile coverage in Brandenburg. Among other things, the available mobile radio technologies (2G, 4G and 5G), signal strength and frequencies used were measured. In addition, the response times and data rates in the mobile networks were measured at points of interest (POIs). Selected regions were visited again in 2021 to document changes in network quality and the progress of the 5G rollout. The measurement campaign in Brandenburg is the first project in Germany to fully measure network quality in a federal state. Brandenburg therefore has very detailed information and a high-quality database, for example on the quality of coverage along main traffic routes such as freeways and main roads. A very good LTE coverage of 99.19% on the highways and 93.59% along the federal highways was determined there. Based on the measurement data, however, it was also possible to identify regions in Brandenburg where there is no mobile network coverage, so-called white spots and regions where the quality of coverage no longer meets today’s requirements for a high-performance mobile network. These are mainly located in rural and sparsely populated areas. The information on the implementation of the measurement campaign and the evaluations have now been published in a detailed report. The full report can be downloaded from the DABB website.