Migration of DSL users to LTE to save Vodafone millions

Vodafone Germany, the local unit of UK-based telecoms operator Vodafone Group, is looking to make savings by switching its roughly four million DSL customers to its Long Term Evolution (LTE) cellular network. Borsen-Zeitung cities Vodafone Germany’s CEO Friedrich Joussen as saying that such a move would boost sales in the long-term and result in annual savings of hundreds of millions of euros. Incumbent operator Telekom Deutschland currently charges Vodafone around EUR500 million (USD719 million) for using its fixed line network. Joussen said that customers that do not wish to transfer to Vodafone’s LTE network could possibly be sold to another fixed broadband provider. Earlier this year the executive revealed that Vodafone was scaling back its fixed line operations to capitalise on the growth potential of LTE, citing unattractive regulation in the fixed line sector and better prospects for the 4G wireless technology as the main reasons behind the shift. TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database states that Vodafone Germany commercially launched LTE in rural areas of Germany in December last year using 800MHz frequencies it won at auction in May 2010. The operator is now looking to deploy the 4G technology in metropolitan areas, including Dusseldorf.