DT Sets Even Faster Pace for Fiber Rollout

DT Sets Even Faster Pace for Fiber Rollout

In the coming year, Deutsche Telekom plans to significantly increase the pace of its fiber rollout. 2.5 to 3 million connections are to be added in 2023, significantly more than this year.

In the current year, Telekom's fiber team is fully on track to achieve the goal of offering FTTH connections to an additional 2 million households and businesses. This was said by Telekom Germany CEO Srini Gopalan at the company's Network Day in Bonn. By the end of 2022, Telekom will increase its fiber reach to a total of 5.2 million connections. By 2024, it is expected to have more than ten million connections.

"Our fiber optic engine is running. We have built more fiber this year than all other competitors combined. In the second phase, we will bring even more fiber even faster to our customers. It's all about growth and scaling. We have a clear plan that we are implementing with our strong team," said Gopalan. "Our 5G coverage already reaches 94 percent of people in Germany a good three years after launch. Whether mobile or fiber, our ambition is to be ahead for our customers.“

DT relies on a regional approach so that it can roll out fiber optics quickly and efficiently on-site. Arrangements with municipalities, work in the streets, and marketing to households and businesses are regional businesses. To this end, Telekom has set up teams that think, plan and act regionally. They make decisions on the selection of areas and the deployment of investments. Cooperative ventures continue to be an important element in the rollout. Telekom is working successfully with partners on fiber rollout, from local city network operators to competitors.

Fiber optic expansion is also a job machine. DT plans to increase the number of fiber optic installers in the Fiber Factory by 50 percent. "The increase we have set ourselves for fiber optic expansion in 2023 is enormous. To ensure that we can continue to deliver on our promises, we need to invest in more than just network technology," Gopalan continued. "We want to hire up to 1,000 new fiber experts. The majority of them are for the installation area. We urgently need this power to get superfast connections into people's living rooms.