Vantage Towers, headquartered in Düsseldorf, has set up more than 190 non-permanent cell towers across Germany in 2022 on behalf of Vodafone. These temporary sites will bridge the time until the construction and commissioning of permanent towers can be completed.
The site approvals and construction process often take many months to several years in Germany until a permanent tower can be erected. This timeline is the compound effect of the search for suitable locations, opposing citizens’ initiatives, lengthy approval procedures, supply shortages and overburdened construction companies.
The company says that its mobile cell sites provide a quick solution for all German citizens to participate in the digital transformation, especially in rural areas. With amended building codes in the states of Lower Saxony and Saarland, the commissioning of a mobile mast in these federal states is particularly quick and without complications.
Once a suitable plot of land is found, all that is needed to set up the mobile unit is to inform the municipality and notify the responsible building authority. A building application and permit are not required for the temporary solution. The approval process for the construction of a permanent site usually runs in parallel.
Christian Sommer, Board Member at Vantage Towers says, “Lower Saxony and Saarland have recognised the problem of the complex expansion of digital infrastructure. The exemption from approval of non-permanent sites in their building codes is a clear commitment to the rapid expansion of mobile communications. I am pleased that our company was able to place over 190 mobile units this year.”
“In Lower Saxony, the rapid expansion of the digital infrastructure is a top priority,” comments Olaf Lies, Lower Saxony’s Digitization Minister. “This is also why we have created considerable simplifications for mobile antenna systems via the permit exemption. Thanks to this solution, many areas in Lower Saxony are already covered today where they would otherwise only be in two years’ time.”
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