Almost every time the same refrain. When crossing the Luxembourg, French, German or Belgian border, telephone communication via Bluetooth cuts out due to lack of network. Same thing for applications requiring Internet like radio or music: “It's quite simple. To switch to the network of the country you are in, you must have lost the one you come from,” explains Christophe Van Yck, Head of Network & Strategic Projects at Orange Luxembourg.
A mechanism which causes perverse effects: “Often, the telephone maintains its home network for as long as possible,” explains Pierre Scholtes, head of the Telecom Networks department at POST. “In fact, this results in a more or less long time without really having a service.” A few seconds sometimes, a few minutes at most, the duration of the “white zone” varies depending on the operator, the agreements between them – collaboration is more obvious between two companies in the same group – the type of GSM or even the zone border concerned.
At Orange for example, the installation of future antennas near the French border should change the situation regarding the crossing point between the A3 and the A31. POST continues its tests with Deutsche Telekom to “avoid cuts” between Germany and Luxembourg. Initiatives which are multiplying as part of the development of 5G, but which come up against technical and administrative constraints. With a paradox, new performances in terms of technological development require always more security and therefore always more obstacles to circumvent.
Despite Luxembourg's desire to move forward with autonomous cars, it is difficult in this context to imagine driverless vehicles in cross-border sectors in the medium term. “With all the operators and countries involved, it’s going to take time. It is also a question of synchronization and coordination between countries,” explains Mr. Van Yck. All in a favorable environment. “Network coverage is good in Luxembourg. Except in certain valleys, distances of one hundred meters without a network are rare,” estimates the ILR (Luxembourg Regulatory Institute). There remains the specific case of major events marked by saturation phenomena. On this point too, operators are mobilizing as a priority to increase capacities. Another construction site.
