COLOGNE (dpa-AFX) - The expansion of fiber optics in Germany is making rapid progress. By the middle of the year, fiber optics is expected to be available to 18.9 million households, two million more than at the end of 2023, according to a study by the consulting firm Dialog Consult on behalf of the Internet industry association VATM, which was published in Koln on Wednesday. That is just under half of all households in Germany. Since the end of 2021, the number of households where fiber is available has roughly doubled - back then it was only 8.9 million.

We are talking about "Fiber to the Home" (FTTH) or "Fiber to the Building" (FTTB), i.e. fiber to the home or at least into the building. However, only 4.6 million of the households that are expected to have fiber optics available by the end of June use this Internet access and have a corresponding contract. The rest do not, or the fiber optic cables are only in the street but do not yet have a connection into the house. There are striking differences in the take-up rate, which according to the study is only 13% for Telekom and 35.1% for its competitors. According to a target set by the German government, Germany is to be connected to fiber optics nationwide by 2030./wdw/DP/stk