Our latest benchmark across 21 European countries shows the increasing complexity of coverage requirements to be fulfilled by European operators.

Whereas the original GSM licences often simply required to cover a certain percentage of the population, newer tender documents may define detailed requirements over dozens of pages.

Coverage of households

The most common type of coverage obligation is still that spectrum regulators require mobile network operators (MNOs) to cover a certain percentage of the population.

Only three of the 21 countries have not imposed such a target or do no longer impose it.

The target is usually a high percentage in the range of 95% to 99.8% of households.

Only in six countries the obligation to cover a certain percentage of households is the same for all major MNOs.

In the other countries, some operators have lighter requirements than the other MNOs because they did not acquire licences in the 700 or 800 MHz bands, or because they are new entrants.

Coverage of territory and underserved areas

Eight countries oblige operators to cover a certain amount of the territory: a percentage of either the national territory or of selected districts and municipalities. In one country, MNOs must also cover 95% of the sea area.

15 of the 21 spectrum regulators adopted coverage obligations that specifically target underserved rural areas.

Coverage of roads, railway routes and infrastructure

Many of the recent 5G auctions included obligations to cover infrastructure:

• 16 countries obliged MNOs to cover certain roads, typically highways or other high-level roads.
• Also in 16 countries, MNOs must cover selected railway routes or even the entire railway network.
• Ten regulators defined obligations to cover other types of infrastructure like airports, ports, waterways, metro networks, railway stations, bus stations, business parks, university campuses or tourist areas.

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