Telecommunications industry in Germany agrees: copper-to-fiber optic migration must be competitive and non-discriminatory
24 million DSL households in Germany will then benefit from freedom of choice and high-speed Internet
Politicians and the Federal Network Agency bear great responsibility

Bonn/Cologne, November 18, 2024 – On the occasion of the 9th Highlevel Gigabit Forum of the Federal Network Agency today, Monday, the industry associations ANGA and BREKO:

While the expansion of fiber optics in Germany continues to progress, the question arises as to the conditions under which Telekom will decommission its copper network. This decades-old infrastructure only delivers limited speeds and also consumes a lot of energy. A good 24 million households in Germany currently book an Internet connection via the DSL copper network.

In order for all of them to benefit from the many advantages of gigabit-capable networks as quickly as possible, it must be ensured that Deutsche Telekom’s copper networks are switched off wherever fiber optic connections are available – regardless of whether it has built the fiber optic network itself or one of its competitors. If politicians and administrators in Germany take their social responsibility seriously, they must now act swiftly.

Our demand is clear: We expect the Federal Network Agency to come up with a concept for the non-discriminatory and competition-neutral transition of the old DSL copper networks to future-proof fiber optic networks very quickly. End customers are free to choose which product they want from the available offers in terms of performance and price.

The concept must ensure that Telekom does not strategically exploit its market power and only switch off the copper networks where it has expanded fiber optics itself. Clear rules from the regulator would give a strong boost to the further expansion of fiber optics.

Recent studies by the consulting firm Goldmedia show that Deutsche Telekom has no economic interest in shutting down its copper network in expansion areas of competitors. According to the authors of the study, this reduces the number of customers on the fiber optic networks and thus the impetus for further expansion by competitors in Germany.

At the same time, an expert opinion by the renowned regulatory expert Andreas Neumann, Managing Director of the Institute for Network, Information and Communication Technology Law (IRNIK), shows that both EU and constitutional law offer sufficient legislative leeway for a competition-compliant, non-discriminatory and consumer-friendly shutdown of copper networks.

The Federal Network Agency and the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport currently have a great opportunity to take this issue, which is so important for Germany’s future viability, into their own hands.