The complex mesh of fibre networks and partnerships make progress in Germany
Deutsche Telekom (DT) is accelerating its efforts to lose the tag of Europe’s greatest laggard in the fibre stakes
TelcoTitans reports that GlasfaserPlus, Deutsche Telekom’s wholesale broadband joint venture with Australia’s IFM Investors, has signed its first open access partner, Plusnet, and is increasing its fibre laying across Germany.
Plusnet is a subsidiary of German energy provider EnBW and has agreed to use the GlasfaserPlus’ FTTP on an open access basis.
Ralf Gresselmeyer, Chief Executive of GlasfaserPlus said the deal was an endorsement that he hopes will encourage others to follow.
GlasfaserPlus secured borrowing of up to €2.15 billion in May and aims to connect more than 650,000 households in 300 communities to its FTTP infrastructure by the end of 2023. Work is already underway 50 communities and it started onboarding customers in July.
In late-September, the JV highlighted plans to expand its network in Lohmar, North Rhine-Westphalia from 2023 and start construction in Neuhof, Hesse in 2024.
GlasfaserPlus was announced in 2021 and began its build out this year having gain approval from the European Commission.
Deutsche Telekom has another fibre joint venture in place in Germany – Glasfaser Nordwest in partnership with EWE. It seems more could follow, at home and other markets to accelerate FTTP builds.
Its Austrian opco, Magenta Telekom is in a JV with French investor and asset manager Meridiam.
JVs aside, DT proper plans to pass 10 million premises with fibre by the end of 2024, without encroaching on its JVs’ territories.
In Germany, DT is aiming to cover ten million premises with its full-fibre network by the end of 2024, not including the JVs’ footprints.
Plusnet was acquired by EnBW Group in 2019 and is part of EnBW Telekommunikation divison along with NetCom, which operates fibre networks in Baden-Württemberg. In December 2020, EnBW and Plusnet acquired active fibre network technology from GasLINE stretching over 6,500km.
In March this year, Plusnet and NetCom formed a partnership with Deutsche Bahn to use spare capacity on the national railway’s fibre infrastructure which is run by DB Broadband.
Plusnet is also building an open access platform called Netbridge – what it calls a virtual Gigabit network – in Germany by integrating disparate local and regional fibre networks.