The head of Vodafone Germany is calling for internet via telephone lines (DSL) to be phased out as soon as possible to speed up the roll-out of fibre-optic networks.
“Let’s start in 2028,” Marcel de Groot said at the Anga Com broadband trade fair in Cologne on Tuesday. This would mean the process could be completed by 2035, thereby fulfilling a previously non-binding target set by the European Commission.
According to a market study by the industry association VATM, there will be 21.8 million active DSL connections in Germany by the end of the year. This compares with 7.8 million active fibre-optic connections and 8.5 million cable TV connections.
DSL technology offers only relatively low bandwidth and is considered obsolete. Yet, many households stick with what they have rather than opting for the better technology, which is often costly.
This reluctance means that investment in fibre-optic networks has not yet proved worthwhile. “The issue of fibre-optic expansion has become almost toxic for financiers in Germany,” said the head of Deutsche Glasfaser, Andreas Pfisterer. The company has scaled back its expansion targets.
As the DSL market leader, Telekom finds itself in a dilemma. It is investing billions itself in fibre-optic expansion, but it does not want to scare off its long-standing DSL customers by cutting off their DSL lines and forcing them to use fibre-optic.
“The copper network should only be switched off once equivalent fibre-optic connections are available nationwide,” said a Telekom spokesman. “Otherwise, there is a risk of coverage gaps and an expansion that focuses solely on economically attractive regions.”