Berlin/Cologne, 27.09.2024 – Today’s revelations in the Tagesspiegel newspaper prove that the management of the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) in the person of State Secretary Stefan Schnorr exerted massive political influence on the interim report of the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) on the dual expansion of fiber optic networks. The ministry is thus protecting the interests of Telekom, in which the federal government still holds a direct and indirect stake of just under 28%. As a result, Telekom can continue its strategically destructive dual fiber optic expansion and further slow down the nationwide fiber optic expansion for the whole of Germany. After analyzing the cases of dual expansion reported to the monitoring body set up specifically for this purpose – also by Telekom – the BNetzA came to the conclusion that only Telekom and its affiliated company Glasfaser Plus have the potential to pursue anti-competitive dual expansion with the aim of crowding out other companies.

Instead of taking concrete measures against this strategic behavior, State Secretary Schnorr prevented a “request for information” from Telekom, which both his own house and the BNetzA considered necessary, in order to examine their expansion planning for signs of an intention to displace. The scandalous justification: Telekom should not be pilloried, please. At the request of the BMDV, the BNetzA also deleted a passage from its draft in which it described Telekom’s sales methods as “aggressive” and “anti-competitive” in the targeted double expansion of particularly lucrative sub-areas.

Telekom’s strategic dual expansion continues to be a massive problem for the fastest possible fiber-optic expansion and the billions in investment required for this. By failing to act, the BMDV and BNetzA are unilaterally protecting Telekom’s interests and damaging the expansion of fibre optics and digitization in Germany. We expect the BNetzA to send a formal request for information to Telekom without delay. In this request, Telekom must be obliged to submit its fiber-optic expansion plans to the Federal Network Agency in confidence. This will enable the BNetzA to quickly and reliably determine whether and in which cases Telekom is abusing its market power to squeeze out competitors through strategic duplication.

Press contacts:

ANGA Der Breitbandverband e. V., Gladbacher Str. 44, 50672 Cologne

Tel.: 0175 / 159 970 7, E-Mail: corinna.keim@anga.de

BREKO Bundesverband Breitbandkommunikation e. V., Invalidenstraße 91, 10115 Berlin

Phone: 030 / 58 580-411, e-mail: presse@brekoverband.de

VATM Association of Telecommunications and Value-Added Service Providers,

Frankenwerft 35, 50667 Cologne, Tel.: 0221 / 37677 25, e-mail: vatm@vatm.de

VKU Verband kommunaler Unternehmen e.V., Invalidenstraße 91, 10115 Berlin

Tel.: 030 / 58580-0, Fax: 030 / 58580-100, E-Mail: info@vku.de