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Regional agreements increase cooperation between local authorities and mobile network providers
Apart from the existing national agreements, a number of state governments have concluded additional agreements with the mobile network providers to improve communication between operators and local authorities and to encourage the network’s growth.
Regional agreements reflect the individual requirements and demands of each state. They put into more specific terms the national regulations from the Associations Agreement between the mobile network operators and the national associations of local authorities. North-Rhine/Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria drew up regional agreements to accelerate the process for choosing new sites while meeting the public’s and the local authorities’ demands for increased transparency and safety.
On 17 July 2003, the state government of North-Rhine/Westphalia, the associations of local authorities in NRW and the mobile network operators signed an agreement to ensure greater safety and cooperation when expanding the mobile network. Their aim was to avoid disputes by making procedures more transparent and allowing greater public participation. The agreement accompanied a simplification of the state’s building laws.
Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg also concluded regional agreements. Under the supervision of Werner Schnappauf, the Bavarian minister for the environment, mobile network operators and representatives of local authorities agreed a series of rules both to promote the extension of the UMTS networks in Bavaria and to give local authorities a greater role in decision-making. The agreement provided mobile network operators, where possible, with state-owned real estate for their mobile phone network installations. The regional agreement of Baden-Württemberg, which was signed on 15 November 2004, also specifies information deadlines and processing times. This ensures that the public is informed in advance and that building projects will be processed quickly.
