Pilot projects for copper to fibre migration completed
Year of issue 2024
Date of issue 2024.11.19
Three pilot projects for the migration from copper to fibre were carried out under the umbrella of the "Gigabitforum" at the Bundesnetzagentur. The Gigabitforum has today published the findings from the projects.
"Our aim is to shape the framework conditions for the copper to fibre migration so as to secure competition and safeguard consumer interests with respect both to the new fibre networks and to the migration phase,"
said Klaus Müller, President of the Bundesnetzagentur. "Together with the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport we will develop a concept for the migration from copper to fibre. This will create the necessary planning certainty for market participants and the large investments in fibre networks at an early stage. We will also draw up guidance for the customers' smooth transition to future-proof networks."
Findings and recommendations for action from the pilot projects
In February 2024 the industry launched pilot projects for the migration from copper-based digital subscriber lines (DSL) to new fibre connections in three regions in Thuringia and Hesse. The Gigabitforum evaluated the pilot projects in cooperation with WIK (Wissenschaftliches Institut für Infrastruktur und Kommunikationsdienste GmbH) and drew up a report with the findings.
Key to determining the future switch-off of the traditional copper infrastructure is not only the number of homes passed but also, and in particular, the number of homes connected by deploying fibre into and within buildings. The Gigabitforum therefore recommends driving forward the deployment of fibre to the homes now and considering legislative amendments to facilitate deployment.
The pilot projects yielded findings relevant to processes within and across companies and identified further areas of action to be developed. The aim in designing the routine process will be to ensure that consumers continue to have a choice between high-quality services from various providers at all times. This requires the industry players to drive forward preparations, for instance in their IT systems, at an early stage. In addition, it has become clear that it will be necessary to balance technical aspects and customer communication requirements when deciding on the switch-off areas. In this context, the Gigabitforum is planning to continue its active dialogue with the market in 2025.
Next steps
The Bundesnetzagentur will take further steps alongside the activities of the Gigabitforum.
It is planned for the Bundesnetzagentur and the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport to jointly develop an overall concept for the copper to fibre migration. The concept is to fully cover aspects of consumer and competition policy. Dialogue with the industry and at the political level will play an important role. The focus will be on measures and any necessary legislative amendments needed to speed up migration.
The Bundesnetzagentur will also draw up and publish structured guidance in advance of the regulatory copper switch-off proceedings envisaged in current legislation. It will hold a market consultation on this together with other relevant issues. The aim is to increase planning certainty at an early stage and speed up the steps in the process towards switching off the copper networks.
At the same time, the Bundesnetzagentur will continue with the establishment of the regulatory framework for fibre in 2025 with a series of relevant proceedings and decisions.
Background to the Gigabitforum
More than one third of Germany's population already have access to fibre products. The rollout of fibre networks is adding more than four million new fibre connections each year. This also puts the focus on the switch-off of the traditional copper infrastructure.
The Gigabitforum, a platform for industry experts established and coordinated by the Bundesnetzagentur, is accompanying this technological transition. The Gigabitforum comprises representatives of telecommunications industry associations, providers of telecommunications networks and services, the competent Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport, the federal states and WIK. The Gigabitforum, set up in March 2021, provides a central platform for dialogue about framework conditions promoting investment and competition for the accelerated migration from copper to fibre networks. The aim is to identify challenges and obstacles for copper to fibre migration as early as possible, jointly discuss options and identify possible solutions for all players in a transparent way.
Information about the Gigabitforum and the report on the pilot projects are available at www.gigabitforum.de (in German).