The progress of fiber optic expansion varies greatly across Germany. In cities where many people live in apartment buildings, fiber optic coverage is not yet optimal. The networks within the buildings play a decisive role, because the internet is only super-fast if the fiber optic cables are laid all the way to the apartments.
At the beginning of July 2025, the Federal Ministry for Digital and Public Service (BMDS) presented a new report on the status of fiber optic expansion in Germany. According to the report, coverage of private households will nearly double to around 35.7 percent within two years by mid-2024. The majority of households without fiber optic coverage are located in urban (15.1 million) and semi-urban communities (8.9 million). In rural areas, 2.9 million households are still without coverage.
The expansion of telecommunications networks is to be significantly accelerated. BMDS Federal Minister Dr. Karsten Wildberger commented: "High-performance, sovereign, and resilient telecommunications networks are a location factor in the digital world. By defining the overriding public interest, we are speeding up network expansion." In order to define such an interest, the Telecommunications Act (TKG) must be amended. To this end, the BMDS has presented the "Act Amending the Telecommunications Act and Declaring the Overriding Public Interest in Telecommunications Network Expansion," which has been approved by the Federal Cabinet. The regulation, which is limited until December 31, 2030, covers both the expansion of fiber optic and mobile networks. The draft bill can be found at: bmds.bund.de/tkg.
The German Housing Industry Association (GdW) criticizes the plan, as it could enable exclusive connections by individual network operators and restrict tenants' freedom of choice of provider. A de facto monopoly position of individual companies could have a negative impact on pricing. Specifically, the draft bill provides for telecommunications companies to be granted a prerogative for expansion in multi-family dwellings for a transitional period. According to this, homeowners could only refuse the installation of fiber optic cables within buildings for valid reasons.
Photo: © Tim Westerhoff, Pixabay
