A good infrastructure does not necessarily have to be visible at first sight. However, it plays a crucial role in the competitiveness of a region. On the shores of river Main in Lower Franconia, there are only very few white spots on the map left. But don’t be lulled into a false sense of security! If only broadband connections with a download capacity starting at 1,000 kilobits may carry this name – as being planned by the German Federal Ministry of Economy – smaller communities will officially not dispose of access to a broadband connection any more. In the region of the lower mountain range of Odenwald, the situation is even less favourable. Here, some areas do not have access to broadband Internet connections at all because the extension of the network is not profitable for the providers.

When looking for cost-efficient alternatives, the catchword ‘digital dividend’ keeps coming up. It is based on the presumption that by switching to digital television, frequency ranges will become available and then could be used for Internet access. Currently it is being assessed in pilot projects whether this way of transmission could fill the existing gaps efficiently.

However, there are several issues which put the future practicability of this technique in question. Experts point out that the volume of transmitted data is sure to increase in the future – which implicates that the frequency ranges will soon reach their limits again. For companies with a high data volume, the download capacities offered by radio transmission are of no interest anyway. Another problem is that radio transmission is affected by weather conditions. If your evening in front of the TV has ever been spoilt because heavy rain or a thick cloud cover messed with your satellite reception, you only know the disadvantages too well. For companies which depend on reliable and stable Internet access, radio transmission thus does not constitute a genuine alternative to glass fibre.

When too many companies cannot be considered potential customers, the question of cost effectiveness arises once again. Overall expenditure may be relatively low in comparison to other technologies. Nevertheless, many mobile network operators shy away from investing in research and development. As long as radio transmission cannot be considered a real alternative to conventional digital subscriber lines it will remain a niche product – with its characteristic financing problems.

In fact, the latest announcements of the German Government on this topic come right in time: subsidies into the billions are meant to expand access to broadband Internet connections and close the last gaps – via conventional digital subscriber lines. Whether some of the millions will trickle down to Lower Franconia remains to be seen, though. The reason: in comparison to other regions, the administrative districts of Miltenberg and Aschaffenburg are said to dispose of relatively good broadband Internet access – according to the current definition. However, when looking at the download capacities of smaller communities it becomes obvious that they still have a long way to go until they reach the benchmark of 1,000 kilobits. We can only hope that the responsible politicians become alive of this fact before the funds have been allocated.

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