BONN (dpa-AFX) - The postal service has too few branches in rural areas. According to the Federal Network Agency, there are currently around 140 "unoccupied mandatory locations" in Germany. According to a regulation, there must be at least one post office in every municipality with more than 2,000 inhabitants, and there are further requirements for larger municipalities. The Post does not fulfill this obligation at the locations in question. In relation to the approximately 13,000 stationary facilities that the Post has nationwide, the proportion of the 140 unoccupied locations is small. In most cases, the term "branch" refers to external partners - such as kiosks or supermarkets that also have a post office counter./wdw/DP/zb