Reichersbeuern, Sachsenkam and Greiling together for fiber optic network

Created: 05/14/2022, 07:12

By: Daniel Wegscheider

The administrative communities were largely unanimous in agreeing to the broadband offer from the UGG company, which was recently presented in the Altwirt inn.

© Wegscheider

Reichersbeuern - In the most recent joint meeting of the municipalities of Greiling, Sachsenkam and Reichersbeuern, the committee had to decide on an offer for an upcoming broadband expansion.

The company “Unsere Grüneorange fiberglass” (UGG) offered the administrative communities to pay for the complete fiber optic expansion in the three communities – without state or municipal subsidies.

UGG has set itself the goal of supplying fiber optics directly to homes, especially in rural regions.

Existing conduits or cable ducts can be used for this, or new ones laid.

UGG builds the network at its own expense, so the municipalities there don't have to pay anything.

In order to be able to handle this economically, the neutral and young network provider UGG (founded 2020) is owned equally by Telefónica and Allianz.

After the fiber optic network has been expanded, UGG offers any interested Internet service provider the opportunity to use its fiber optics in the developed areas.

UGG is currently working with “O2”.

Further discussions such as with "M-net" or "1&1" are currently underway, reported Sandra Stiedl from the company UGG, which had presented the project to the three local councilors in the Altwirt inn in Reichersbeuern and also made it palatable there.

The expansion looks like this: After the municipality has signed a declaration of intent with the UGG, the central node of the network (Point of Presence) is installed at a suitable location within the respective municipality.

It is a small box measuring six by three meters.

"That's the heart," explained Stiedl, "from there the fiber optics run in a star shape to the individual households."

In the actual construction phase, the glass fibers are laid underground.

Basically, the lines should be laid next to the road in public ground at a depth of only 45 centimeters.

"We are building the network in such a way that later densification is not a problem," said Stiedl, with a view to possible new development areas.

If there is no direct connection to the house because there is no empty pipe, "this is made possible with a ground hammer".

All in all, Stiedl reckoned with a construction time of six to twelve months from the ground-breaking ceremony to the activation of the high-speed internet.

Don't dig up roads again

Reichersbeuern's Mayor Ernst Dieckmann reported that in all three communities in the past few years, empty pipes had always been inserted during any type of construction work.

"So that we don't have to tear up the streets again later," he emphasized, and further: "All three municipalities spent six-digit sums on this."

The head of the town hall insisted all the more that the UGG should replace the local authorities' existing empty pipes at the market price and that this be included in the contract as binding.

Another important point raised by the three municipalities was that hamlets or individual farms outside also had to be included in the fiber optic network.

UGG assured both.

As part of the fiber optic expansion, citizens are to be informed at a planned event about the various cost models and the possibility of taking their phone number with them.

For example, there is the possibility of signing up for a free connection with the Internet provider “O2” in advance.

Anyone who decides to do so after the offer phase pays 130 euros.

Of course, there is also the possibility of using the connection without a service contract.

The costs here are 636 euros.

After completion of the offer and planning phase, 892 euros have to be paid in addition to the aforementioned costs, because the construction crew has to come back again.

Telekom connection should continue to be maintained

Some of the municipal councilors present wanted to know what the situation with Telekom was, since many citizens use this provider.

According to Stiedl, UGG is in talks with the large Internet provider, but so far without any results.

Dieckmann added that there had also been talks with Telekom beforehand, which sobered him up.

At first, the provider would also have expressed an interest in fiber optic expansion, but only announced this in two years' time.

Shortly before the meeting, Telekom withdrew its offer completely because, from its point of view, the fiber optic network expansion was not economical for the three communities, Diekmann reported.

Despite the UGG expansion, the Telekom connection will remain.

Sachsenkam's Mayor Andreas Rammler asked at the end of the presentation that this all sounds like a "benefit event" and what's the catch?

Stiedl replied: "We are expecting in the long term." Fiber optic expansion is the future, which is why UGG is investing a lot in its infrastructure.

Ultimately, the committee was almost unanimous in agreeing to get into fiber optic expansion.

Dieckmann: "The sooner we get involved, the sooner we'll have it." In addition, the other market providers would have had their opportunity: "In the end, it's important to me that we have fast internet in our communities.

It doesn't matter who builds it." And so the three municipalities voted in favor of the expansion of the fiber optic network by UGG, with one dissenting vote from Reichersbeuern.