多图看懂无线通信：从1G到5G
Germany’s effort to catch up to the digital age starts this week when the gavel falls on theauction for the airwaves to build ultra-fast 5G wireless networks. The rollout of the technology is critical as Europe’s biggest economy seeks to transition away from its reliance on old-school engineering. The country lags behind the likes of Qatar, Albania and Moldova when it comes to mobile internet speeds, and its clunky network is becoming a handicap in the transition to a data-based economy.
“Updating Germany’s digital infrastructure is very important,” said Rubin Ritter, co-chief executive officer of Berlin-based Zalando SE, Europe’s biggest online fashion retailer. “There are moments when customers have difficulties accessing our app.”Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government has promised to create “world-class” digital infrastructure and end the notoriousdead zones that dot the countryside. It expects proceeds of as much as 5 billion euros ($5.7 billion), but the actual bill will be hard to predict.
The goal goes beyond streaming video, but allowing family-owned manufacturers and corporate giants like Siemens AG to digitalize production processes and develop data services. The bidders are a select group, comprising current network operators Deutsche Telekom AG, Vodafone Group Plc and Telefonica SA as well as new entrant United Internet AG. The buildup to the auction, which starts Tuesday, has been accompanied by controversy, including legal disputes over the conditions and pressure on the German government to ban equipment from China’s Huawei Technologies Co. over security concerns.
当本周拍卖超高速5G无线网络的木槌落下，标志着德国奋力追赶数字时代的大幕开启。随着欧洲最大经济体寻求摆脱对老派工程的依赖，5G技术的出现至关重要。在移动网速方面德国落后于卡塔尔、阿尔巴尼亚和摩尔多瓦，其低效的网络正成为向数据型经济转型的障碍。
“更新德国的数字基础设施非常重要，”总部位于柏林的欧洲最大在线时尚零售商Zalando联合首席执行官 Rubin Ritter表示，“有时客户访问我们的应用程序会遇到困难。”德国总理默克尔（Angela Merkel）政府承诺将创建“世界级”数字基础设施，消灭遍布乡村地信号盲点。该公司预计收益将高达50亿欧元（57亿美元），但实际支出将较难预测。
目标不仅仅是流媒体视频，还包括让家族制造商和西门子等企业巨头实现生产流程数字化并开发数据服务。投标人是一个特定群体，包括目前的网络运营商德国电信公司（Deutsche Telekom AG）、沃达丰集团有限公司（Vodafone Group Plc）和西班牙电信公司（Telefonica SA）以及新进入的联合互联网公司（United Internet AG）。周二开始的拍卖会自筹备就伴随着争议，其中包括德国政府因安全问题而禁止中国华为提供设备的条件和压力而引发的法律纠纷。
1. catch up 追上，赶上，跟上
2. gavel 拍卖用的小木槌
3. auction 拍卖会
4. ultra-fast 超快，极快
5. rollout 首次展示o
6. lag behind 落后，逾期付款，退步
7. the likes of <口>像…这样的人/事物
8. clunky 粗笨的、笨重的， 文中理解为低效的
9. handicap 障碍，缺陷，不利（拓：handicapped 残疾的、有生理缺陷的，是一种相对婉转的说法，另有相似的“老年人”不说“the olds”而用senior citizen）
10. notorious臭名昭著的，臭名远扬的
11. dot 散布于
12. streaming video 流媒体视频
13. manufacturer 制造商
14. bidder 投标人
15. controversy 公开辩论，论战
16. legal dispute 法律纠纷
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government has promised to create “world-class” digital infrastructure and end the notorious dead zones that dot the countryside. dead zones 直译“死亡地带”，但此处根据上下文可知，指的是信号覆盖不到之处（拓：deadline 时间截点，截止线，死线）；句子结构不复杂，是一个and连接的并列句，并列举的后半部分包含一个that引导的定语从句。
The buildup to the auction, which starts Tuesday, has been accompanied by controversy, including legal disputes over the conditions and pressure on the German government to ban equipment from China’s Huawei Technologies Co. over security concerns. “which starts Tuesday”是一个which引导的非限定性定语从句，修饰auction；“including legal disputes over…security concerns”在句中做状语表伴随，表伴随时动词需用动名词形式（including）。
Zalando SE是一家总部位于柏林的欧洲电子商务公司。该公司拥有一个跨平台的在线商店，销售鞋子、时装和美容用品。该公司于2008年在德国成立。
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