Berlin, 03.07.2023 Today, the Federal Network Agency and the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) announced the establishment of a “Monitoring Office for Fiber Optic Dual Rollout”. The associations ANGA, BREKO, BUGLAS, VATM and VKU welcome this as an urgently needed first step. The BMDV had announced the issue in its gigabit strategy, but has now belatedly taken it up and commissioned a scientific analysis of the problem.

The strong momentum of the fibre-optic expansion of the companies organized in our associations is already suffering from the actual or announced strategic over- or double expansion by Telekom and its subsidiary Glasfaser Plus. Well over 100 specific cases throughout Germany, as well as feedback from numerous municipal representatives, show that there is an urgent need for action.

The establishment of the reporting office can therefore only be the first step. We expect the BMDV to find solutions promptly to stop strategically motivated over- or double expansion. Otherwise, there is an acute risk that the goals of the federal government’s gigabit strategy of supplying 50% of all households with fiber optic connections by 2025 and completing the nationwide fiber optic expansion by 2030 can no longer be achieved.