Germany is still in catch-up mode; the news will add to Vodafone’s woes in Germany
Deutsche Telekom (DT) is accelerating its fibre broadband access network rollout plans for 2023 in its domestic market, adding to the 5.2 million premises it is scheduled to pass by the end of 2022.
The former monopoly is to build out its FTTP network to pass between 2.5 million and 3 million premises next year and aims to exceed 10 million premises passed in 2024.
To put this into perspective, as research house Outvise wrote earlier this year: “Despite the weight that’s being thrown behind fibre rollout in Germany, the nation lags behind comparable economies. Currently, only 5.4% of German households have access to fibre broadband.
“Meanwhile, just over a third of these lines are active, with 36% of German consumers taking advantage of a fibre subscription [where available]. In comparison to other developed economies like South Korea and Sweden, whose fibre availability stands at 70%+, these numbers are fairly dismal.”
Srini Gopalan, CEO of Telekom Deutschland, said, “Our fibre optic engine is running. We have built more fibre this year than all other competitors combined. In the second phase, we will bring even more fibre even faster to our customers. It’s all about growth and scaling”.
“Our 5G coverage already reaches 94% of people in Germany a good three years after launch. Whether mobile or fibre, our ambition is to be ahead for our customers.”
DT is to employ 1,000 staff to hit these targets, taking the total to 3,000.
This will not lift the gloom at Vodafone, which is struggling with its fixed business in Germany – its largest market. The departure of its Vodafone Group’s CEO, Nick Read, was announced today.
Read more about DT’s announcement here.