Open access to existing infrastructure is essential in driving deployment of high-speed networks in Germany, a Deutsche Telekom board member states.
Niek Jan van Damme said fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployment in the country would happen faster if telcos are allowed to access existing infrastructure, including that of other industries, and through modern regulation that encourages investment.
“We…have to avoid a patchwork of local fiber-optic networks in Germany, which means the industry has to agree to mutual, open, network access,“ van Damme stated while revealing the telco’s fiber expansion plans this morning.
Deutsche Telekom plans to extend its FTTH network to 160,000 homes in ten major cities this year, and will back up the high-speed efforts by upgrading its current VDSL and DSL lines to handle 50 Mbps data rates, up from 16Mbps currently.
The telco also revealed that Cologne will be the first city to enjoy LTE services as it begins building networks in the 1800MHz and 2600MHz frequencies.
The combination of fixed and wireless technologies is necessary to offer “customers fast connections, high quality and attractive prices,” van Damme noted.