Germany: Broadband is being expanded

Internet access is essential for the economy

Broadband Internet access is not only becoming faster, it is also becoming more common. Last year almost every third German household had a connection with a download speed of over ten megabits per second (Mbit / s), in 2009 it was only every fourth. "You can only use many web offers properly with bandwidths in the double-digit megabit range," said BITKOM President Dieter Kempf. Fast Internet access is a prerequisite for using certain services sensibly, confirms Christian Herzog, Head of Technical Regulation and Market Access at the industry association, to pressetext.

"If the Internet were suddenly no longer available, the economy, government institutions and private individuals would have considerable problems of varying degrees, since many processes and information flows rely on the Internet," says Herzog. According to the Federal Network Agency, around four billion euros were invested in the expansion of the fixed and cable network in 2010, and over 1998 billion euros since 93. According to BITKOM calculations, building high-speed networks will cost a further 30 to 40 billion euros in the coming years. "The comprehensive availability of super-fast Internet connections is essential for Germany as a business location," says Kempf.

Network cable

Network cable: broadband is getting wider (Photo: aboutpixel.de/Enzo Forciniti)

Germany in the broadband midfield

According to an OECD study, the average maximum bandwidth of Internet connections in Germany is 17 Mbit / s. The OECD average is 37 Mbps. Germany occupies a place in the lower midfield. "The framework conditions for the expansion of the broadband network must be further improved in the course of the current amendment to the Telecommunications Act," Kempf demands in view of these figures. The federal government wants to accelerate the expansion of the broadband infrastructure with the broadband strategy: In 2014 75 percent of all households should be able to get a connection with at least 50 Mbit / s.

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