Deutsche Telekom seals major fibre deal with housing industry

May 22, 2023 08.34 Europe/London By Jörn Krieger

Millions of tenants in Germany are to receive a fibre connection more quickly: With this goal in mind, the umbrella organisation of the housing industry GdW and Deutsche Telekom have agreed on joint positions on fibre network deployment.

In a position paper, Deutsche Telekom and GdW set sample scenarios for housing companies. Telekom offers member companies in its deployment areas the full rollout and operation of FTTH networks free of charge. In addition, housing companies will be involved earlier and with more room for individual adjustments in the fibre connection of their properties and flats. Contracts and planning documents will be simplified, communication better coordinated. The diversity of housing companies is also to be better taken into account, as Telekom and GdW announced.

Telekom is making the largest investment in its history over the next few years with €30 billion. The goal: Together with other market participants, "fibre optics for all" is to become a reality in Germany by 2030. Telekom transports not only its own services via its fibre networks, but also those of competitors such as Vodafone, 1&1 or local network operators. Telekom's fibre connection is open to other providers.

"The fibre rollout in Germany can only succeed if network operators understand the diversity and individual requirements of the housing industry and tailor their contracts, technology and communication accordingly. In this respect, this position paper and the model contracts jointly developed by GdW and Telekom are a success for the housing industry and its tenants, but also for Germany's innovation capability," said GdW President Axel Gedaschko.

Srini Gopalan, Telekom Board member for Germany and Managing Director, Telekom Deutschland, added: "FTTH is the new standard for the digital provision of properties. It is fast, stable and consumes significantly less energy than copper and cable networks. Telekom is bringing fibre optics to people and businesses in the city and in the countryside. This year alone, up to three million FTTH connections are to be added. The housing industry is particularly important for our customers in densely populated areas. With this agreement, we see ourselves as the housing industry's preferred partner in making fibre the standard for digital supply. GdW and Telekom want to offer consumers provider diversity – we have long been committed to open access, the principle of open network access for other companies."

The Federal Association of German Housing and Real Estate Companies (GdW) is Germany's largest industry umbrella organisation and represents around 3,000 municipal, cooperative, church, private, state and federally owned housing associations nationwide and at European level. They manage around 6 million flats in which over 13 million people live. GdW represents housing companies that manage almost 30% of all rented flats in Germany.

Filed Under: Editor's Choice, FTTH, Newsline, Telco, Top Story Tagged With: Axel Gedaschko, Deutsche Telekom, GdW, Srini Gopalan Edited: 23 May 2023 09:10