Berlin, June 11, 2026 – Together with Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy and Deputy Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia, and Ernst Ferdinand Wilmsmann, Managing Director of Deutsche Mobilfunk-Infrastruktur-Gesellschaft (MIG), mobile network operators (MNOs) Deutsche Telekom, O2 Telefónica and Vodafone commissioned their mobile network equipment at Phoenix Tower International’s new 60-meter mobile tower.
The tower in Plettenberg-Selscheid in the Märkischer Kreis district of North Rhine-Westphalia is used by all three MNOs – Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica and Vodafone – and offers 4G and 5G connectivity, closing a well-known connectivity gap.
The mobile tower was funded by MIG and built and operated by Phoenix Tower Germany, in close collaboration with Hartmut Glück Consulting and VDL NPS. Construction of the tubular steel tower, from the VDL R 2.0 series, took approximately twelve months from permit approval to handover. It is connected via both fiber-optic cable and microwave links and supports 5G and 4G.
Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs, commented, “The new mobile tower is good news for people in the Märkischer Kreis, who now have coverage from all three network operators. Expanding the mobile network is a team effort: as a state, we support the coordination of digital infrastructure in the districts to ensure that everything runs smoothly on the ground during the rollout. Through the State Building Regulations, we paved the way early on to ensure that mobile towers can be erected more quickly. And we have successfully advocated for a coverage requirement on district roads to ensure they do not fall within dead zones. I would like to thank everyone involved who is pitching in here and in other parts of the state to make comprehensive mobile coverage possible.”
“Every time a new tower is commissioned, the government’s mobile communications funding program, delivered by MIG, becomes a tangible reality for residents. Thanks to the new mobile tower built by PTI and used by the mobile network operators Telekom, Vodafone and Telefónica, the same now applies to Plettenberg-Selscheid and the surrounding area: where there are people, there is mobile coverage. Thanks to the close and constructive cooperation of all parties involved in the construction, and in particular thanks to the support of the Märkischer Kreis and its mobile communications coordinator Matthias Pohl, the project has been implemented swiftly. I strongly advocate that this encouraging example is replicated elsewhere, so that good mobile coverage is guaranteed everywhere in the future,” said Ernst Ferdinand Wilmsmann, Managing Director of MIG.
“The new mobile tower is a prime example of the cooperative and results-oriented expansion of mobile infrastructure in Germany,” said Raafat Dabboura, Managing Director of Phoenix Tower Germany. “The close and collaborative partnership between all parties involved was key to delivering the tower so quickly, and to ensuring the region has a stable, high-performance network for the long term. Our goal is to continuously improve mobile coverage in Germany and to steadily close any remaining gaps in network coverage. Projects such as this demonstrate how effectively the federal government’s mobile communications funding can be deployed in collaboration with committed state and local authorities and industry partners. As an independent tower company, we see ourselves as a connecting element that brings together public objectives and private investment to sustainably strengthen digital participation across all regions of Germany.”
Also present at the opening ceremony were the representatives of the German MNOs:
- Benedikt Mittmann, Steering & Government Funding Mobile, Deutsche Telekom,
- Jörg Borm, Senior Government Relations Manager, Telefónica, and
- Stephan Schneider, Senior Manager Public Affairs, Vodafone.
“What matters to us: no rural area is left behind digitally. Deutsche Telekom operates 175 additional sites in the Märkischer Kreis and already provides 5G coverage to almost 90 percent of the district’s area. This site closes a major coverage gap along the K8 regional road. Additional planned sites are set to provide seamless coverage along the K8 by the end of 2029,” said Marcus Isermann, Vice President Public Affairs, Regulation and Federal States at Deutsche Telekom AG.
“The new mobile network site in Plettenberg clearly demonstrates how targeted expansion brings tangible benefits to regions. High-performance mobile networks are now an essential part of public services, ensuring that business locations remain competitive and that people can organize their daily lives digitally. Telefónica Deutschland is investing in better digital connectivity for residential areas, business parks and leisure destinations wherever people and businesses rely on stable digital connections,” says Valentina Daiber, Chief Officer of Legal & Corporate Affairs at Telefónica Deutschland.
“Anyone who takes digitalization seriously must not forget rural areas. Fast networks are just as essential there. In North Rhine-Westphalia, we already provide more than 99 percent of people with fast mobile coverage. But there is still work to be done to close the remaining coverage gaps. This works best when politicians and telecom companies pull together, as they are doing here in Plettenberg-Selscheid,” says Michael Jungwirth, a member of the management board at Vodafone Germany.
About Phoenix Tower International/Phoenix Tower Germany
Phoenix Tower International (PTI) is an independent, globally active tower company headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida (USA). The company owns and operates more than 32,000 mobile network sites across 24 countries and, as a neutral host infrastructure provider, offers open access to all mobile network operators.
Phoenix Tower Germany focuses in particular on the expansion and provision of modern mobile communications infrastructure in rural areas. In doing so, the company makes an important contribution to improving digital coverage. Phoenix Tower Germany sees itself as a long-term and reliable partner to local authorities, landowners and mobile network operators, and successfully implements mobile communications projects in close, cooperative collaboration with all stakeholders. More information at https://www.phoenixintnl.com/de/