Berlin, 30.11.2023 The German Broadband Association (BREKO) welcomed 800 representatives from business, politics, administration and science to the Estrel Berlin today for the telecommunications industry’s political highlight of the year. Federal Minister Volker Wissing praised the rapid pace of fiber optic expansion and promised to further improve the framework conditions. Industry representatives made concrete demands to reduce state subsidies, radically simplify approval procedures, prevent the strategic double expansion of the market-dominant company and make the shutdown of copper networks more competitive.

In his keynote speech entitled “Accelerating gigabit expansion and digital transformation”, Dr. Volker Wissing, Federal Minister for Digital Affairs and Transport, was optimistic that the expansion of fibre optics and mobile communications will meet the ambitious goals of the federal government’s gigabit strategy through good cooperation between politics and the industry: “Germany goes digital – high-performance digital networks make it possible. The industry is expanding them dynamically. And we are creating the right conditions so that we can make even faster progress.”

Strength of the fiber optic industry

In his welcoming address, BREKO President Norbert Westfal emphasized the strength of the fibre optic industry: “The speed of expansion this year is higher than ever before and the industry has invested more than ever in network expansion. This shows the strength of the expansion in Germany, which is being implemented by a large number of expanding network operators. This is all the more pleasing because the framework conditions for expansion have deteriorated, particularly due to higher interest rates, a shortage of skilled workers and inflation. The task now is to continue this positive development. If the economic environment changes, it is all the more important that politicians at federal and state level actively support further expansion with investment-friendly framework conditions.”

Association formulates five specific demands to politicians

BREKO Managing Director Dr. Stephan Albers made specific demands on politicians to improve the framework conditions for network expansion in order to maintain the high level of dynamism in the market: “We must not rest on our laurels from the zero interest rate era. Now that the sea is getting rougher, it is more important than ever to set the right political course. Specifically, we firstly need a reduction in state funding for the federal government’s protracted gigabit funding from three to one billion euros per year. This will relieve the federal budget by six billion euros by 2026 – ten percent of the current shortfall in KTF funding. Secondly, we need an obligation to digitalize the approval process for fibre optic expansion by the end of 2024 on the basis of the OZG broadband portal and an exemption from approval for connecting buildings to a fibre optic line that is already in the street. Thirdly, we expect the federal government to finally take effective measures against the strategic dual expansion of the market-dominant company Telekom. We have already submitted a concrete proposal for a solution. Fourthly, we are calling for a massive nationwide awareness campaign on the application of DIN 18220 for trenching, milling and ploughing methods in order to finally integrate these laying methods into the practice of the approval authorities. And last but not least, a regulatory framework that safeguards competition for the shutdown of copper networks must be established as quickly as possible in order to prevent the market-dominating company Telekom from strategically using the shutdown to hinder competitors. This would also fully exploit the sustainability potential of fiber optic networks.”

Keynotes highlight the perspectives of the regulatory authority, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, a state government and the industry

In his keynote speech entitled “The transition from copper to glass – the Federal Network Agency’s view”, Federal Network Agency President Klaus Müller took a look into the not-so-distant future of telecommunications regulation. Olaf Lies, Lower Saxony’s Minister for Economic Affairs, Transport, Building and Digitalization, emphasized the great potential of accelerating the expansion of fibre optics through better cooperation between the players from politics, administration and business in his keynote speech “Clear the way for digital infrastructure: removing hurdles, resolving conflicts, using synergies”. Dr Anna Christmann, Member of the German Bundestag and Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Start-ups at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, and Gunter Reiss, CMO at the gold sponsor of the DZS annual conference, also gave exciting insights into their perspectives on current challenges and opportunities in fibre optic expansion and digitalization in their keynotes.

In addition to exciting presentations and discussions, BREKO also had some good news to announce “on its own behalf”: Matthias Groß, CEO of NetCom BW since May of this year, was newly appointed to the BREKO Board of Directors.

You can find the complete agenda for this year’s BREKO annual conference here: https://www.brekoverband.de/aktuelles/termine-veranstaltungen/breko-jahrestagung