On a walk, when traveling or on the way to work - where there is no network, frustration often arises. Although more than 98% of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia is covered by 4G or 5G by at least one network operator, there are still gaps. To ensure that this is soon a thing of the past, the third mobile network measurement week will start from May 26 to June 1. With the help of the Federal Network Agency's free wireless coverage gap app, citizens can record and anonymously submit the network availability of their mobile network providers.

Minister of Economic Affairs Mona Neubaur is once again supporting the campaign as patron: "We have already achieved a lot in terms of network expansion, but everyone still knows where the gaps are. We want to find precisely these gaps, because good networks make our country fit for the future and even more attractive for people and business. Our example is setting a precedent: this year, for the first time, all federal states are taking part in a nationwide mobile communications measurement week. Precisely because mobile phone availability is already good here in NRW, the search for weak points depends on each individual. Every measurement counts, take part, measure with us!"

How does it work?

Download the app, start it on the go and use your cell phone as normal - it automatically measures how well the cell phone network is working in the background. The "Funkloch" app can be downloaded free of charge and without advertising from the app stores. The results are collected anonymously and help to track down areas with poor coverage and close them in a targeted manner. All results are published in the German Federal Network Agency's dead zone map.

What's the point?

In the last two years, over 50,000 people in NRW have provided more than 20 million measurement points. This has helped to better understand the coverage situation - and to improve it in a targeted manner. The smaller the gaps in coverage become, the more important precise local measurements via the wireless coverage app become.

What is the NRW Mobile Measurement Week?

The NRW Mobile Network Measurement Week is the result of an initiative by the mobile network coordinators in the districts and independent cities of North Rhine-Westphalia and is being imitated nationwide for the first time this year - the Mobile Network Measurement Week is taking place simultaneously in all federal states. Users can easily record the network availability of their mobile network in real time with the "Funkloch" app. The aim is to achieve a significant increase in coverage transparency with the help of the measurements taken by citizens.

Further information on the Mobile Measurement Week and the Funkloch app can be found at www.kdi.nrw/mobilfunkmesswoche. Information on the nationwide Mobile Measurement Week is available at www.check-dein-netz.de.

What is the state of mobile communications expansion in North Rhine-Westphalia?

According to the Federal Network Agency, 4G coverage by at least one mobile network operator in North Rhine-Westphalia is 98.4%. 5G is already available in 95.4% of the area through at least one network operator. 11% of the state's area are so-called "gray spots", i.e. areas that are covered by at least one, but not all network operators with 4G or 5G. 1.4 percent of the country's surface area are "white spots" that are not yet covered by either 4G or 5G. The basic data on mobile coverage at the level of the districts and independent cities in North Rhine-Westphalia is updated quarterly in the dashboard www.mobilfunk.nrw based on data from the Federal Network Agency's mobile network monitoring.

According to the Federal Network Agency's mobile network monitoring (as of January 2025), the current mobile network coverage in Aachen is

• 4G area coverage: 96 percent
• 5G area coverage: 90 percent
• Gray spots 11 percent
• White spots 3.7 percent.