Deutsche Telekom has called for more urgency from the government and telcoms industry in rolling-out super-fast broadband in Germany.
Tim Höttges, Chairman of Deutsche Telekom’s Board of Management, said, “Too many people in Germany are just talking about the expansion of the network. Too few really do something. Deutsche Telekom has made Germany faster again in the past 12 months. I am very proud of that.
“I would like others to do more for the broadband build-out in the coming year. We need more cooperation, faster approval procedures and more courage to break new grounds.”
Last year, Deutsche Telekom focused on fibre-optic build-out, particularly FTTC (fibre to the cabinet). The company installed 23,000 new street cabinets and connected them to the network via optical fibre.
Rural coverage
Deutsche Telekom is set to complete its FTTC upgrade by the end of 2020. This will be followed by the large-scale buildout of FTTH (fibre to the home). The initiative is set to equip 2 million households a year with FTTH.
“Our ambition is to give our customers the best network experience – and not just in densely-populated areas,” said Walter Goldenits, CTO at Telekom Deutschland (Deutsche Telekom’s fixed-line subsidiary).
Deutsche Telekom is also using artificial intelligence (AI) to plot the next steps for its fibre deployment. In October, the operator said the move could lead to faster and more optimised route planning as more ground can be covered much faster than using conventional methods. A trial was held in Bornheim near Bonn in summer, 2018 but no detailed plans have been revealed about the next steps.