Brussels, 10 March 2021
Following the Federal Network Agency’s decision in late 2020 for 450MHz frequencies to be utilised for critical infrastructure in energy and water in Germany, 450connect GmbH has been awarded the license rights for the next 20 years. Aside from the concept for frequency usage proposed, 450connect has been prided for its expertise, performance and reliability.
EUTC is proud to announce that half of 450connect is owned by EUTC members: E.ON and Alliander (part of Netbeheer Nederland).
The network which will use the 450 MHz spectrum will facilitate secure, reliable smart grid connectivity to Germany’s energy and water utilities and ultimately over 30 million smart meter connections throughout Germany. It is anticipated to build the network over the next 3-4 years with between 1,000 and 2,000 base station sites.
The success builds upon other recent national spectrum allocations for private smart grid LTE deployment – Poland and Ireland have both made awards in the 400 MHz during November 2019, with the Spanish regulator confirming an allocation at 2.3 GHz in July 2020. EUTC is pleased to have been able to play a part in these significant outcomes through a range of persistent and sustained lobbying at Global, EU and national level.
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450connect GmbH is Germany’s sole license holder and operator of 450 MHz radio frequencies. Goal of the company is to quickly establish a nationwide mobile network based on LTE technology (4G and 5G) for digitalizing German energy and water utilities as well as other critical infrastructures. The 450MHz radio network is a crucial requirement for a secure and highly available communication of millions of critical machine-to-machine (M2M) applications and thus for the successful energy transition and transformation. Equal shareholders of 450connect are: the largest Dutch energy network operator Alliander, a consortium of regional energy providers, E.ON and Versorger-Allianz 450, to which numerous public utilities, energy and water suppliers with the participation of the EnBW subsidiary Netze BW belong.
European Utilities Telecom Council (EUTC) Aisbl is a non-profit organization delivering education, collaboration, best practices and thought leadership in telecommunication technology to utilities, other critical infrastructure providers and regulators, ensuring efficient, secure, sustainable and affordable smart infrastructure solutions. Moreover, the EUTC is the trusted advisor, source and resource of information and knowledge for its members and relevant policy makers regarding telecommunication technologies required by utilities and other critical infrastructure providers.
For more information, please contact julian.stafford@staff.eutc.org
