Telekom has announced the launch of its fiber-optic network in Bautzen district benefitting nearly 56,000 households and businesses in 55 municipalities.
The project has got 24 million euros in funding from the Free State of Saxony.
The project involves around 4,000 kilometers of optical fiber, 1,500 kilometers of underground construction, and more than 1,100 new fiber-optic multifunction cabinets, offering download speeds up to 1 gigabit per second (Gbit/s).
The network will support every digital application like video streaming, gaming, or working from home, as well as technologies like virtual reality, telemedicine, and smart home solutions.
“We want to speed up broadband roll-out across the board throughout Saxony,” said Michael Kretschmer, Premier of the Free State of Saxony, at the launch.
“The fiber-optic build-out here in the Bautzen district is good for the development of the entire region. That’s why, in addition to the federal government, the government of the Free State is supporting this roll-out with 24 million euros in funding.”
Deutsche Telekom CEO Timotheus Höttges, said, “We are showing that rural areas and fast Internet needn’t be a contradiction in terms. In less than a year, the first residents of the Bautzen district will be able to surf the web at speeds of 1 gigabit. That will make this district one of the first in Germany to have world-beating digital infrastructure.”
Höttges further said that optical fiber can become a reality if all parties work together. “No single company could possibly roll out optical fiber across all of Germany. That is why, as a company, we welcome government funding to ensure a gigabit network gets built that provides the greatest possible coverage.”
