Breakthrough: New Guideline Boosts Fiber Optic Expansion in Buildings

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Germany faces a problem with the digital infrastructure expansion. While fiber optic cables have been laid to approximately 24 million property boundaries, the situation inside buildings often remains in the digital dark ages. Only about 13 million households are actually physically connected, and merely seven million actively use the technology.

Problematic Last Mile

In practice, the "last mile" often proves to be the most difficult stretch. The reason for this gap between potential and reality was not only due to a lack of willingness from tenants or owners but also to a tangle of unclear definitions and technically outdated fire protection regulations.

This is where the new VDE guideline 0800-730 comes in, which the electrical and IT association presented in Frankfurt on Monday. It aims to close a critical gap in the German standardization landscape and create a technical basis that legally secures fiber optic expansion within buildings. A beneficial side effect for owners and tenants: laying optical cables should also become significantly easier and cheaper.

What's special about this is the timing: VDE experts have developed a solution that anticipates the core requirements of the EU Gigabit Infrastructure Act (GIA) even before it has been fully incorporated into German federal law. This will provide planners and tradespeople with the necessary planning certainty today to consistently drive forward the expansion.

Glass is Not a Fire Hazard

A significant obstacle so far has been the incorrect classification of fiber optics in the Model Guideline on Fire Protection Requirements for Cable Systems (MLAR). In the past, optical fibers were treated like conventional electrical copper cables and thus considered a fire hazard. According to the VDE, this assumption is technically simply wrong, as fiber optics transmit light signals and not electrical current, and therefore do not generate heat or cause short circuits.

This incorrect classification meant that installation in necessary escape routes such as stairwells was only possible under very strict conditions. Often, expensive and bulky fire protection conduits had to be installed. This affected the aesthetics in apartment buildings and drove up the costs per connection and extended construction times.

The new guideline clears up these misunderstandings. In cooperation with the responsible working group of the German Commission for Electrical Engineering (DKE), the experts have incorporated a "practical solution" into the ongoing revision of the MLAR. In the future, it should be possible to lay fiber optic cables with appropriate building classification much more easily – for example, in simple metal conduits or even as discreet adhesive fibers directly on the wall.

Thomas Sentko, standardization manager at VDE, emphasizes the importance of this simplification: Since the MLAR is a highly complex set of regulations, the experts have prepared the technical requirements in such a way that they can be directly applied on the construction site. Over 30 experts from the fields of network operation, planning, and installation have worked on the standard. This should ensure that it withstands the real conditions in German basements and hallways.

Dispute over "Right to Full Expansion"

Currently, the initiative by Federal Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger (CDU) for a "right to full expansion" for better in-house fiber optic supply is causing unrest in the industry. The housing industry, along with the broadband association Anga, is protesting against this idea. In contrast, the Association of Providers in the Digital and Telecommunications Market (VATM) and consumer advice centers have expressed themselves positively on this matter.

The VDE initiative could help defuse the dispute and advance Germany's digital standing. Fiber optics are not just faster than the old copper network; they are considered the foundation for the next stage of digitalization. Optical transmission offers significantly more bandwidth, minimal latency, and is also more energy-efficient than operating the old copper infrastructure.

With the new guideline, VDE is continuing a strategy it began in 2019 with initial quality standards for fiber optics. At that time, the association created binding criteria for the reliability and longevity of installations for the first time with guideline 0800-720.

(vbr)