Harz has the most dead spots: mobile phone coverage in Saxony-Anhalt is weak!

Harz has the most dead spots: mobile phone coverage in Saxony-Anhalt is weak!

In Saxony-Anhalt, the Harz district is at the forefront of an issue that concerns many mobile phone users: dead spots. A current measurement week of the Federal Network Agency shows that there was no network present in 2.4 percent of the measurements. In comparison, there are dead spots in only 1.1 percent of measurements in the Wittenberg district. A look at the results reveals that the issue of network coverage in rural regions is particularly important for farmers and the population.

In total, around 150,000 mobile phone users nationwide searched with the Federal Network Agency provided app for dead spots. The measurements took place between May 26 and June 1, 2025, and the data collected provides valuable information for improving mobile phone coverage. Eight districts in Saxony-Anhalt are above the national average of 0.76 percent dead spots, which makes it clear that there is still room for improvement.

Measurements and network coverage

An exciting finding is that Saxony-Anhalt performs better compared to other federal states such as Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The 4G area coverage in Germany is currently 97.53 percent, while over 93.85 percent of the area is covered by 5G. Despite these high values, 14 percent of the federal area is classified as “grey spots”, which means that at least one, but not all, network operators with 4G or 5G are present there. Even 2.1 percent are among the “white spots” where neither 4G nor 5G is available.

The President of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller, points out how important these measurements are. He encourages users to use the app to document network availability. The anonymized data flows into an interactive mobile phone map, which is updated weekly to provide an overview of the mobile phone status in real time. The Federal Minister for Digital, Dr. Karsten Wildberger, supports the initiative to improve network coverage in Germany.

The challenges in the Harz district

Dead spots are a pressing problem, particularly in the Harz district MDR is treated in detail. The main reason for the poor values ​​is seen with the provider Telefonica/O2, which means that rural areas often have to make do without mobile phone reception. This poses a challenge not only for individuals, but also for agricultural use in the district.

With the Germany-wide mobile phone monitoring and the results from the measurement week, the pressure on mobile phone providers to improve their infrastructure can increase. The state government and the Federal Network Agency have already announced that they will continue to evaluate the results and examine measures to improve network coverage in the affected areas. The future of mobile communications coverage in Saxony-Anhalt therefore depends on the next steps that must be taken now.