State Secretary Daniela Kluckert and Digital Minister Prof. Dr. Kristina Sinemus open fiberdays 22
Over 5,000 trade visitors expected
Over 230 exhibitors in 2 exhibition halls
200 speakers to speak on 4 stages
Wiesbaden, 14 June 2022 June 2022 fiberdays is back in the exhibition hall: For the first time, the German Broadband Communications Association (BREKO) is presenting the trade fair and congress event for the telecommunications and digital industry on 10,000 sqm in two exhibition halls of the RheinMain CongressCenter in Wiesbaden. The congress on digitalization, digital infrastructure and fibre optic expansion was opened today by Daniela Kluckert, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Digital Affairs and Transport, and the Hessian Digital Minister Prof. Dr. Kristina Sinemus.

“Our new digital minister has set the goal of a nationwide, genuine fiber optic rollout in Germany by 2030, which means that federal policy is also focusing on the most energy-efficient and therefore ecologically sensible infrastructure. We are here on fiberdays 22 to further accelerate the expansion of fiber optics in Germany together with the entire industry, of course with a clear focus on the roll-out of our own network. Our biggest concern at the moment is the proliferation of subsidized projects with a flood of market exploration procedures, which are slowing down the rollout. As a result, civil engineering prices, which are already very high, will continue to rise significantly. I would like to take this opportunity today to once again make an urgent appeal to the federal states, which are campaigning for unrestrained funding, to develop ways of efficiently dovetailing self-funded and funded expansion in a constructive dialog with the industry. This is the only way to achieve the 2030 fiber optic target.” With this statement, Norbert Westfal, President of the German Broadband Association (BREKO) and Spokesman of the Management Board of EWE TEL, opened the opening congress of fiberdays this morning.

This was followed by keynote speeches from Daniela Kluckert, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Digital Affairs and Transport, Hessian Digital Minister Prof. Dr. Kristina Sinemus and Kai Herzberger from Facebook parent company Meta Platforms, who spoke about the importance of digital infrastructure for digitalization. Kluckert praised the telecommunications industry’s strong financial commitment to the expansion of fiber optics and promised that the German government would prioritize the expansion of fiber optics in its gigabit strategy: “We need high-performance digital infrastructures everywhere for the digital awakening in Germany. We therefore welcome the telecommunications industry’s announcement that it will invest massively in future-proof fiber optic and mobile networks in the coming years. With our gigabit strategy, we are paving the way for fast and efficient expansion.”

Sinemus explained how Hesse intends to reconcile the expansion of fibre optics on a private and subsidized basis: “Joining forces is crucial for successful digitalization. That is why we are looking to join forces between private companies and the public sector. Our maxim is: market before state. But network expansion is not always economical, especially in sparsely populated areas. That is why we as a state are providing enormous amounts of funding here – but only here. Because it is important to us that market-driven expansion has priority, which is why we have advocated the potential analysis process nationwide.”

Important digital topics on two trade fair days

Digitalization, digital infrastructure and the acceleration of fibre-optic expansion: the programme for the two days of the trade fair is packed with keynotes, discussion panels and keynote speeches on Germany’s digital future. Highly topical issues such as the German government’s gigabit strategy, the structure of fiber optic funding from 2023 and the right to the provision of telecommunications services will be the focus of many prominent panels. THE central question at fiberdays 22: How can the expansion of fibre optics really be accelerated? Representatives from the Federal Gigabit Office, TÜV Rheinland, the Hessian State Chancellery, the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Transformation and Digitization, the Rhineland-Palatinate Consumer Advice Centre and the FTTH Council Europe, among others, will discuss this on Wednesday in the panel “Fiber for Future – What really accelerates fiber optic expansion?”.

The topics of digitalization and sustainability will also be discussed in various programme items on four stages: In addition to the presentation of a current study on the sustainability of digital infrastructures by the Technical University of Central Hesse, the speakers will address topics such as the life cycle assessment of digitalization or the sustainability of regional data centers. The thematic highlights will be complemented by practical examples such as the expansion project in the Neckar-Odenwald district, in which an entire district with 27 municipalities is to be expanded with fiber optics across the board.

Presented for the first time at fiberdays 22, the “Media Hall” will feature a survey on IPTV as well as numerous panel discussions on the television of the future, including topics such as IPTV, video-on-demand, 5G and TV, and the individualization of television. Among the exhibitors and speakers are many big names in the industry, such as ZDF, RTL and SWR on the TV broadcaster side and Ocilion, waipu.tv and Zattoo on the TV provider side. You can find the complete agenda HERE.