Copper switch-off tracker: Portugal oops, Germany fie

Germany scores poorly in a European country comparison on copper-fiber optic migration, which the Brussels-based lobby association FTTH Council Europe has compiled and now published in cooperation with the consulting firm Cullen International. According to the "Copper Switch-Off Tracker", Germany, Greece and the Czech Republic are among the nations that are still heavily reliant on the old copper infrastructure. They are in the bottom three places.

The analysts attribute this primarily to the fact that Deutsche Telekom, as a long-established operator, has only converted five percent of its network to fiber optics in the FTTB (Fiber to the Building) and FTTH (Fiber to the Home) variants. According to the study, the Czech Republic's former monopolist also has a rate of five percent, while in Greece it is four out of a hundred.

German debate about copper and glass

Deutsche Telekom itself assesses the situation differently. It currently offers "more than 10 million households in Germany fiber optics", explained the Magenta Group at the beginning of January. The proportion of FTTH households supplied by Deutsche Telekom has thus risen from 36% to 48% between 2021 and 2025. According to a study by the consulting firm EY, half of all households are expected to have access to fiber optics by 2025. In total, there are around 250 telecommunications companies in Germany that primarily build and operate fiber optics on their account.

Deutsche Telekom CEO Timotheus Höttges recently criticized the fact that only 13% of German households actually use fiber optic lines. The Bonn-based company itself has long relied on copper-based VDSL with vectoring and has been slow to switch to fiber optics. Competitors are calling for a plan for a future-proof and smooth copper-to-glass migration. Telekom warned in the debate that there was a risk of a "forced change of provider" if the old line technology was abandoned. The Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) promised to develop a concept for the switchover together with the Digital Ministry.

EU Commission wants to move away from copper by 2030

According to the tracker, Portugal, Spain and Sweden are leading the way in the gradual phasing out of outdated copper networks in Europe. The market leaders there have already migrated 93 to 97 percent of their networks to fiber optic lines. Bulgaria, Lithuania, Luxembourg and France follow with significantly lower figures. According to the study, Spain and Finland plan to switch off their copper networks by 2025. Sweden is aiming for 2026. Luxembourg, France and Denmark have set themselves the target of 2030. The authors of the study clarify that in only twelve countries do the incumbent operators have plans to switch off copper lines completely. Only in eight of these countries are the plans public.

In a White Paper last year, the EU Commission set a deadline for the complete shutdown of copper networks by 2030. Connect Europe, the lobby group representing the largest network operators, is against a fixed target or a forced copper switch-off. The EU regulatory authorities also consider the Commission's ambitions to be excessive. However, the EU industry association ECTA, which brings together competitors of the major network operators, is pushing for a rapid switch to fiber optics. Roshene McCool, President of the FTTH Council, is convinced that optical networks "are of fundamental importance for Europe's digital transformation". The gradual replacement of copper networks with fiber opt ics will reduce energy consumption and overall operating expenses.

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