German telecom operator Deutsche Telekom has signed a cooperation agreement with the Gigabit Region Stuttgart GmbH to expand the high-speed internet.

The gigabit project focuses on the partnership aimed at upgrading the fiber-optic network. 99 percent of the population will also be able to use LTE by 2025. The plan also envisages the rollout of 5G network.

The expansion area covers 174 municipalities in the City of Stuttgart as well as in the five neighboring districts Boblingen, Esslingen, Goppingen, Ludwigsburg, and Rems-Murr, said
Telekom Deutschland managing director Dirk Wossner.

The partners have gone for a two-stage model. GRS coordinates the expansion in the region and is managing the cooperation with Deutsche Telekom. It is developing standardized processes and technical standards.

GRS is also concluding framework and master agreements and mediates where conflicts arise between municipalities and Deutsche Telekom. The five districts involved have already set up their own special-purpose associations.

These special-purpose associations advise and accompany the district authorities as part of the expansion. They also help apply for funding and provide planning data, by setting up and maintaining central ductwork management for instance.

Deutsche Telekom has over 500,000 kilometers of fiber-optic network in Germany. Bonn-based company invests more than five billion euros every year in Germany’s infrastructure. Deutsche Telekom aims to connect two million households a year direct to the fiber-optic network as of 2021.