Technology associations: No new standards necessary for fiber optic expansion

The Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) wants to set up a working group to examine the need for action regarding the standards and technical specifications required by the EU's Gigabit Infrastructure Regulation for fiber optic expansion – and whether new technical documents may need to be created. This would not only be a waste of time and money, but would also entail "considerable risks for the market", warn the German Commission for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies (Deutsche Kommission Elektrotechnik, Elektronik und Informationstechnik, DKE), which is supported by the VDE, and the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (ZVEH).

According to Article 10 of the Gigabit Infrastructure Act (GIA), Member States must, in consultation with interested parties, adopt relevant standards or technical specifications necessary for the deployment of fiber-optic-capable in-building physical infrastructures and in-house fiber optic cabling by 12 November 2025.

Germany already meets this requirement in full, write the DKE and VDE in a joint statement. They refer to the work of existing international, European and national standardization committees as well as existing documents on access points, cables, sockets, empty conduits and microchannels, for example. Topics such as interference, "minimum bending radius" and cabling are also already covered.

"Confusion" feared due to additional standards

VDE and ZVEH therefore recommend supporting the established "quality infrastructure" system. This is based on multilateral agreements between the World Trade Organization (WTO), the EU and the German government and the standardization organizations. The core of this system is formed by the groups active in standardization in the DKE and the associated "market ownership".

"The existing standards provide a solid basis for the construction of sustainable fibre optic networks," emphasizes DKE Standards Manager Thomas Sentko. "They reduce costs and avoid bad investments. We rely on qualified specialists, especially in the skilled trades, to implement them." The skilled trades "are working successfully with the available norms and standards and are thus driving forward the expansion of fiber optics," assures ZVEH head of department Paul Seifert. Additional bureaucratic requirements lead to confusion and could slow down the pace of broadband infrastructure expansion.

(mho)