Accessibility Will Soon Become Mandatory: What Companies Need to Change on Their Websites

A good summary of the key information relating to Germany’s Accessibility Improvement Act (BFSG).

The topic is generally already on the agenda at large corporations. In my view, however, it affects companies of all sizes that operate in B2C commerce, to a greater or lesser extent.

… on 28 June 2025, the German Accessibility Improvement Act (BFSG) will come into force. It transposes the European Union’s Accessibility Act, adopted in 2019, into German law.
­ The BFSG makes accessibility mandatory for numerous products and services.

Provider-Independent SIM Cards Already Possible in the Netherlands

If device manufacturers such as Samsung and Apple included SIM cards with their devices that were not tied to a specific provider, the mobile communications business could change fundamentally. The Dutch regulatory authority has opened up possibilities for this.

— Read more at http://www.golem.de/news/soft-sim-sim-karten-ohne-provider-bindung-kommen-1403-105168.html

Bitkom Calls for Rural Broadband Expansion to Be Financed with Spectrum Auction Proceeds

Bitkom is calling for proceeds from future spectrum auctions to be invested in network expansion, for example broadband rollout in rural areas. The full article is available on heise.de; see below. I found the following passage particularly interesting:

Following the liberalisation of the market, the federal government has received more than €60 billion from telecommunications providers through spectrum auctions.

That is quite a sum accumulated through GSM, UMTS, WiMAX and LTE auctions. And in 2016, the GSM frequencies are due to go under the hammer again. The finance minister is probably rubbing his hands already.

— Read more http://heise.de/-2085489

Packaging of the o2 Signal Box

Product Review: The o2 Signal Box S – 3G Reception Without an Existing 3G Network

Who hasn’t experienced it: no or poor mobile reception in an important place, such as at home or in the office. Often you have to go outside to make a call or stand with the phone pressed to your ear against a window. Incoming calls are also difficult to receive unless the phone is constantly kept in a spot with at least some reception.

Munich: Free Wi-Fi at Marienplatz, Karlsplatz, Odeonsplatz, Isartor and Sendlinger Tor

Similar to Berlin, Munich will soon have free Wi-Fi as well. The pilot project, initially planned for two years, is to launch first at Marienplatz. Karlsplatz, Odeonsplatz, Isartor and Sendlinger Tor will follow in autumn. The network will be operated by Stadtwerke München, hence the name M-WLAN. More information and additional links are available at heise.de

Dear Telekom, This Is How Fast Internet Works Without Throttling

This article on Golem.de shows how Google makes money from fibre connections in the USA. Dear “Drosselkom”, you could learn a thing or two from that! Google may only be rolling out these connections in metropolitan areas, but Telekom also claims that throttling was introduced because expanding the access network is expensive – and most connections are naturally located in urban areas. More background and information on how much one GB of traffic costs Telekom can be found in another Golem article.