Cooperation between 1&1 and Deutsche Glasfaser for fiber optics in rural regions

1&1 and Deutsche Glasfaser have entered into a long-term cooperation aimed at achieving a greater variety of fiber optic products in rural and suburban areas.

Fiber optics for 2.5 million households

According to the two companies, the local fiber optic networks of Deutsche Glasfaser will be connected to the nationwide transport network of 1&1 as part of the "infrastructural cooperation". This step will give more than 2.5 million additional households access to 1&1's fiber optic offering in the future.

"Through the cooperative use of a future-proof infrastructure, we are creating more competition and thus greater freedom of choice for customers," said the two companies. "This merger is a milestone on the path of two fixed network pioneers to drive forward the expansion of fiber optics and offer people in Germany a fast and future-proof Internet connection," explains Andreas Pfisterer, CEO of the Deutsche Glasfaser Group.

Like the offerings of major network operators such as Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and Telefónica as well as regional operators, 1&1 offers fiber optic connections with speeds of up to 1,000 megabits per second. The partnership enables 1&1 to offer its fiber optic products in other areas where Deutsche Glasfaser is expanding.

Slow expansion of fiber optics in Germany

In the long to medium term, fiber optics will replace the DSL connections that have been widely used to date. From a technical point of view, DSL has basically already reached its limits, as the technology has been exhausted. Moreover , according to an expert opinion, components will also become scarce in the medium term, as hardly any country is still relying on DSL.

In the forecast for the VATM (Association of Providers in the Digital and Telecommunications Market), DSL could nevertheless remain the dominant line technology in Germany until 2030. The federal government had set itself the goal of supplying half of all households with fiber optics by 2025 and all households by 2030. The EU commission had also set 2030 as target timeframe for copper-fiber optic migration, but exoerts considered this to be "overambitious".

(afl)