From copper to fiber optics: Telekom competitors demand future-proof migration

Deutsche Telekom's competitors are putting pressure on the upcoming migration from the copper network to fiber optics. The industry association VATM has now published a position paper on this. The association wants to use it to define "the central guard rails for a successful and future-proof migration process".

24 million connections

The shutdown of the copper network, from which not much can be technically extracted after the VDSL turbo vectoring, and the switch to fiber optic infrastructure are considered to be the biggest challenges in the telecommunications industry in the coming years. In its new report on the gigabit strategy, the Federal Ministry of Digital Affairs also states that the question of migration is "increasingly" arising in view of the ongoing expansion of fiber optics.

There are currently still 24 million actively used, copper-based connections in Germany. This means that 67 percent of all households in Germany access the Internet via Telekom's copper DSL network. The Magenta Group itself has 14 million VDSL customers, while competitors such as Vodafone, Telefónica and 1&1 use Telekom's copper network for a further ten million customers.

According to the VATM paper, the Federal Network Agency and the Gigabit Forum, which is working on pilot projects for the changeover, must develop "a migration concept based on a viable overall solution for Germany" in the near future, even if the network expansion and conversion will "still take many years".

The association warns that the migration must not "lead to the consolidation or even expansion" of Telekom's still "dominant market position". "The copper-glass migration must be used as a historic opportunity to create more competition in the telecommunications market," demands VATM and insists on "maximum transparency in Telekom's plans for the copper network shutdown".

"Arbitrator Federal Network Agency"

The goal must be "the ultimate shutdown of Telekom's old parallel copper networks". This is not only crucial for the capacity utilization and economic efficiency of the fibre optic networks, but also for achieving the politically desired sustainability goals for the digital infrastructure". The transition must be organized in a timely and predictable manner for all market participants. An appropriate regulatory environment and "an arbiter in the form of the Federal Network Agency" are crucial for this.

VATM also advocates a sufficient transition period. Largely nationwide coverage should make it possible to "easily switch to a fiber optic or gigabit connection". Gigabit-capable cable networks should also be considered part of the solution. If customers "exceptionally" reject fiber optics, "high-performance mobile or satellite technology could be an alternative".

According to the paper, the details surrounding Section 34 of the Telecommunications Act are complex. It only stipulates the circumstances under which Telekom may switch off its old copper network. The VATM has drawn up scenarios for this. The President of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller, recently made it clear that forced migration is not on the agenda. The broadband associations Breko and Anga are also ex erting pressure for a migration concept. They refer to the EU Commission's plans to switch off copper networks across Europe by 2030 at the latest.

(olb)