As far as the expansion of mobile telephony is concerned, the Eberfingen municipal council has a clear demand on the operators: 4G and 5G networks should only use the existing frequency bands in the municipality. However, higher transmission powers are strictly rejected. But in Eberfing they also know that their influence is very limited.
- The topic of “5G” is discussed again and again
- This is also the case in the Eberfingen municipal council, which has a clear demand on the operator
- 4G and 5G networks should use the existing frequency bands in the municipality
Eberfing - The Eberfing local councils could not believe their eyes when they recently opened the local newspaper. The telecommunications group Vodafone, it was written there, would upgrade its mobile network in the municipality of Eberfing to 5G standard. The village community had not been informed of this. “That is not the right way to find out something like this in the newspaper,” annoyed the third mayor, Monika Westenrieder (Free Voters' Group Heimat), in the most recent council meeting. Even Mayor Georg Leis (CSU) could not hide his displeasure with Vodafone: "That is really totally wrong." After reading the newspaper, the town hall chief did some research himself and made inquiries at the mobile phone giant and also at the Bavarian Community Day. Accordingly, Vodafone is actually planning a software expansion for LTE and 5G on three antennas in the Eberfinger municipality.
Vodafone radio mast usually at the end of the village to the left of the county road
Where exactly, Leis was not told: “We don't know yet.” Vodafone usually has its radio mast location at the end of the village to the left of the district road towards Etting, according to the town hall chief.
The expansion should be limited to the software - that is, higher transmission rates will result, but the mobile radio system will remain the same. The transmission power is also not increased. “As long as the hardware is the same,” Leis stated in the municipal council, “nothing will change in terms of emissions.” The village community would grudgingly take note of the procedure described in terms of “5G expansion” - despite concerns about the not yet conclusive researched the health effects of 5G technology.
Also read: It was completely surprising that Telekom made the first radio mast in Weilheim 5G-capable.
The municipalities have no legal control over existing locations. “Formally, they don't do anything wrong. The communities have nothing to say, ”Leis clarified. And as long as the existing hardware is used - okay.
“They can do what they want” - no control over expansion stages
But what if Vodafone secretly converts its systems to "intelligent antennas" with significantly higher transmission powers that are focused on the individual user? That would cause great resentment in the local council: "The use of higher frequency bands in the millimeter or centimeter range in the Eberfing municipality is expressly rejected due to the unanswered questions about the health effects, including for any future expansion steps," according to a resolution unanimously adopted by the committee. But what effect does the “resolution” have with regard to future expansion stages? Probably only a small one - “you have to be that honest,” admitted Leis.
Josef Mayr (CSU / non-party) also expressed skepticism: “In the end, they can do what they want,” explained the vice-town hall chief. You cannot control the expansion stages anyway. Vodafone's inadequate information and communication policy gave Josef Mayr a bad idea: “When everything happens so secretly, a dog is always buried somewhere. If everything were really so harmless with 5G, then everything could be said beforehand. "
In Eglfing, on the other hand, they say “yes” to a 40 meter high telecommunications mast that is also to be used for 5G technology. The building application was only just passed through in the local council.
In view of the much faster 5G expansion in the district, which is being driven primarily by Telekom, the ÖDP district association has addressed the public with a comprehensive statement.
