high speed internet
Faster fiber optic expansion
Will Germany become a model state when it comes to high-speed Internet with fiber optic expansion? Photo: James Arthur Gekiere/BELGA/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
When managers of German telecommunications companies talk about Internet expansion, there are different ideas, but one common enemy: the state bureaucracy. That should change.
Digital and Transport Minister Volker Wissing wants to accelerate the expansion of fiber optic Internet in Germany with faster approval procedures, uncomplicated installation technology and the end of paperwork.
On Thursday in Berlin, the liberal presented the cornerstones of a gigabit strategy with proposals for rapid expansion. “The current situation can be improved,” he said.
If the change of course is successful, Germany could even become a model state when it comes to high-speed Internet, explained Wisseing. “We need rapid progress and more speed.” The implementation of the proposals is essentially the responsibility of the federal states.
fiber optics to the home
The measures are intended to ensure that by the end of 2025, high-speed landline networks will be available in at least half of households – i.e. “Fiber to the Home”, fiber optics right into the apartment and not just up to the gray junction box on the street. “By 2030 we want fiber optics in every house and the latest mobile communications standard for everyone,” said Wissing. These are ambitious goals, but they are feasible if the internet industry, the federal government, the federal states and the municipalities work together.
At the beginning of the year, the fiber optic share was just over a fifth, according to a report by the Federal Network Agency. According to this, 8.9 million households were considered to be supplied, of which not even a third used the fiber optics and had corresponding contracts – the rest did without it.
A key point of the strategy, which has the character of a recommendation, is shorter approval procedures. “We are asking the federal states to make changes to the building law by the end of this year,” said the minister. He sees his Federal Ministry as the central point of contact here, so that the federal states can standardize and streamline their different rules.
For example, he spoke out in favor of the approval process being completely digitized and companies being allowed to get started before the building permit was granted. The FDP politician is thus complying with a requirement from the telecommunications industry. The logic behind it: At the end of lengthy approval procedures, the Internet companies get the green light in most cases anyway – so the long waiting time could have been saved.
New mooring technology during expansion?
Wissing also advocated the use of new laying technology. With “trenching”, for example, the pavement is only scratched and the cable is then only laid 15 to 30 centimeters deep – instead of tearing up a large part of the pavement, digging deep and positioning the cable at a depth of 70 centimeters. The Federal Minister emphasized that the increased use of such technology would speed up fiber optic expansion. “With the help of federal, state and industry pilot projects, we want to identify potential and break down reservations.” Legal issues need to be resolved.
Wissing sat down with representatives of the telecommunications industry on Thursday, after which he appeared in front of the press alongside Bernhard Rohleder from the Bitkom industry association. The document has a lot of substance, but still needs to be specified in individual points, the general manager of the association praised the paper. It’s good that the federal government doesn’t want to provide new funding, but instead relies on the power of the private sector, says Rohleder.
This is one of the absurdities of the Internet expansion here: large parts of the industry shy away from funding like the devil shuns holy water. They complain that such funding processes are excruciatingly slow and tie up construction companies that are more urgently needed elsewhere.
Investment of around 50 billion euros
Wissing pointed out that the telecommunications industry in Germany wants to invest around 50 billion euros in private-sector expansion by the end of 2025. Additional funding is not necessary, according to the Liberal. “More money doesn’t help, but less bureaucracy and more tailored regulations help.”
Positive feedback also came from other parts of the telecommunications industry, but there was also a certain amount of skepticism. Because what happens if the proposals fizzle out and the countries carry on as before? Then internet companies would continue to moan about the trials and tribulations of federalism. Wissing, who was Minister of Economic Affairs of Rhineland-Palatinate until 2021, was undeterred. All governments of the 16 federal states have promised their citizens better internet, he said. “I take all 16 state governments at their word.”