Germany's Bid to Catch Up on Digital Age Hinges on 5G Sale
- Chancellor Merkel seeks to transform laggard into world leader
- Choppy wireless networks a ‘big weakness’ for German economy
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Germany’s effort to catch up to the digital age starts this week with an auction of the airwaves needed to build ultrafast 5G wireless networks.
The rollout will be critical as Europe’s biggest economy tries to reduce its dependence on old-school engineering. The country lags behind the likes of Qatar, Albania and Moldova when it comes to mobile internet speeds, a handicap in the transition to a data-based economy.