Bonn/Berlin, 17.11.2022 The BREKO Annual Conference, the central political event of the telecommunications industry, took place today at the Estrel Berlin, where the industry and politicians discussed the framework conditions for the further expansion of fiber optics. The implementation of the gigabit strategy to date and the question of what measures need to be taken to achieve the German government’s fiber-optic expansion targets were the common thread running through the conference with its prominent participants. The industry made specific demands on politicians to ensure that fiber optic expansion is not jeopardized against the backdrop of the current energy and economic crisis. Federal Minister Volker Wissing focused his remarks on “funding with a sense of proportion” and the interaction of all players in the fiber optic expansion.

The question of how to minimize the risks that could stand in the way of achieving the German government’s fiber optic targets according to the BREKO Market Analysis 2022 was at the heart of the presentations and discussions at the BREKO Annual Conference 2022. The German Broadband Association welcomed around 700 guests from politics, industry, administration and science to the Estrel Berlin today for the central political event of the telecommunications industry.

Industry makes demands on politicians

BREKO President Norbert Westfal made specific demands to politicians at federal, state and local level: “Against the backdrop of the current energy crisis and a tense economic situation, it is now particularly important that politicians support the companies expanding fiber optics by creating the right framework conditions. The expansion of fiber optics, as a prerequisite for an efficient and sustainable digital Germany, must not be allowed to stall now. At federal level, we are calling in particular for clear rules for a targeted prioritization of future gigabit funding in order to bring the available funding to the municipalities that really need it. This is all the more important as a considerable amount of private capital is available for the expansion. Digital administrative procedures that are standardized across federal states and authorities must be established quickly in the federal states. If, in addition, alternative installation methods finally gain greater acceptance in the municipalities and also in the construction industry, we will have the chance to achieve the federal government’s goals and meet the demands of a modern and digital society.”

Federal government announces measures

In his welcoming address, Dr Volker Wissing, Federal Minister for Digital Affairs and Transport, focused on the interaction between all stakeholders and addressed the direction of the new fibre optic funding: “A high-performance, nationwide and resilient broadband infrastructure is the nervous system of digitalization. Our goal is for at least every second household and business location to be able to use fiber optics by the end of 2025. By 2030, we want to have fiber to the home available nationwide. In the gigabit strategy, we have set out how we can create ideal framework conditions for accelerated expansion. We are shaping funding with a sense of proportion that focuses on areas in which there is no self-economic expansion, but without crowding out private investment. Grid expansion is and will remain market-driven and therefore the responsibility of private operators. In order to support this in the best possible way, we want to reduce bureaucratic hurdles and accelerate, simplify and digitalize approval procedures. We also need more flexibility in installation technology. We need to open up to alternative methods such as trenching and milling processes or above-ground lines. We can only achieve our goals together. We need perfect cooperation between companies and the industry, the federal and state governments, districts and municipalities.”

Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of the Interior and for Home Affairs, Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter, emphasized the great importance of network resilience in her presentation: “Security in cyberspace is a key priority for the Federal Ministry of the Interior. The threat situation is tense, including in cyberspace. Attacks on the state, companies and our society are on the rise. IT failures can have a significant impact on our security. Our goal is to ensure security of supply in Germany, protect citizens and companies alike and increase overall resilience. We need to become more resilient.”

The importance of clearly prioritizing the promotion of fibre optics was also emphasized by the Chairman of the Monopolies Commission, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Kühling, in his keynote speech on the competitive situation in the telecommunications market. He said: “The path to the gigabit society should be driven by competition. For this reason, there should be a clear prioritization of uneconomical network expansion areas, especially with regard to state funding for fiber optic network expansion, and the auctioning of mobile frequencies should be maintained.”

Panel discussion on the implementation of the federal government’s gigabit strategy

Moderator Kerstin Stromberg-Mallmann and Sven Knapp (Head of BREKO’s Capital Office) discussed the implementation of the gigabit strategy to date with digital politicians and members of the Bundestag Dr. Reinhard Brandl (CSU), Maximilian Funke-Kaiser (FDP) and Johannes Schätzl (SPD) as well as Rhineland-Palatinate’s Digital Minister Alexander Schweitzer and BREKO Board Member Alfred Rauscher (Managing Director of R-KOM). In contrast, the participants discussed the recent “funding freeze”. The participants in the discussion agreed that the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport Affairs (BMDV) must now quickly deliver proposals for the planned potential analysis and the design of the new funding guideline in order to give all parties involved planning security. Maximilian Funke-Kaiser announced that the draft of the new funding guideline would be published soon. There was agreement on the need to digitalize the approval process for fibre optic expansion.

Parameters of sustainable networks

Another important topic was the connection between digitalization and sustainability. In a panel discussion, moderator Kerstin Stromberg-Mallmann spoke with Judith Luig, Head of Strategy, Policy and Fiber Optics at Stadtwerke Münster, and Eveline Metzen, Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy DACH at Google, about the framework conditions for sustainable network expansion.

A current project dealing with the verification of sustainability factors for grid expansion and the development of corresponding key performance indicators was also discussed here. Stadtwerke Münster and BREKO came up with the idea of developing an industry guide together with Böcker Ziemen Consultants. The aim is to provide industry players with a systematic basis for continuous sustainability reporting adapted to the fibre optic business, also with a view to the EU reporting obligation from 2025. The focus on the topic makes a significant contribution to making digitalization more environmentally friendly and socially responsible overall and firmly anchoring it in the company’s internal sustainability strategy.

The complete agenda of this year’s BREKO Annual Conference can be found here: BREKO Annual Conference 2022 (brekoverband.de)