Magenta Mobil: Mobile Operators’ Tariffs All Look the Same

First it was mobile operator O2, or rather Telefónica, that named its tariff portfolio after the company colour, simply calling it “Blue”. In October 2012 Vodafone followed with its Red tariffs. And now guess what Deutsche Telekom plans to unveil at IFA 2014?

Exactly! They plan to rename their tariff portfolio after that wonderfully pretty, unmistakable and terribly intrusive colour, magenta. More on the new Magenta Mobile tariffs can be found, among other places, at Teltarif via the following link.

— Read more http://mobil.teltarif.de/telekom-magenta-mobil-neue-tarife-flatrate/news/56814.html

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