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A fiber optic cable: "The copper network, which had worked well for many years, retrospectively turned out to be a burden."
Photo: DANIEL MUNOZ / REUTERS
In a comparison of the use of fiber optic connections in 15 European countries, Germany comes in twelfth place.
The comparison portal Verivox calculated in an analysis available to SPIEGEL that only three percent of residents use a pure fiber optic connection for Internet access.
In Sweden, on the other hand, statistically speaking, it is one in three.
As a basis for this consideration, the portal asked the regulatory and telecommunications authorities of the federal states about the current status of the fiber optic expansion.
Both the number of available connections and the number of active users were recorded.
It shows that of the approximately 7.5 million fiber optic connections available in Germany (PDF) according to the VATM industry association, only a third are actually used.
In Sweden, on the other hand, this so-called activation rate is almost twice as high at 62.18 percent.
Put on copper for too long
Verivox cites one reason for this difference that the "expansion pressure" is greater in countries with previously inadequate fixed-line networks. In contrast to Germany, for example, almost all available fiber optic connections are actually booked by customers in Estonia. The structural infrastructure of the country also simplifies the expansion. "In formerly socialist countries there are many large apartment blocks where a large number of households can be connected in one fell swoop, comparatively inexpensively," says the Verivox report.
In Germany, on the other hand, "vectoring and upgraded cable networks have been relied on for a long time," says Verivox manager Jens-Uwe Theumer.
“The copper network, which had worked well for many years, proved to be a burden retrospectively because it made investments in new technologies appear less urgent.
In Sweden, on the other hand, the former monopoly has already announced that it will shut down parts of the copper network. "
High-speed wonderland Switzerland
In urban areas in particular, many potential fiber optic customers did not use the connections because they considered the price-performance ratio of DSL and cable access to be sufficient. In contrast, additional charges are usually required for Internet access via fiber optics. According to Verivox, German network operators usually charge between 70 and 90 euros per month for a fiber optic connection with a performance of 1 gigabit per second (GBit / s).
In Spain, which ranks second in Verivox's fiber optic ranking with 25.3 connections per 100 inhabitants, you pay significantly less, according to the Verivox report.
You can get a gigabit connection with fiber optic technology from around 50 euros per month.
Often this price even includes a mobile phone contract.
In Sweden, on the other hand, the monthly costs for such a connection would be around 100 euros.
With prices of 75 euros for a fiber optic connection with 10 GBit / s, Switzerland looks like a high-speed wonderland in this comparison.
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