Competitive service providers looking to get access to Deutsche Telekom's last mile network have a new ally in Germany's telecom regulator Bundesnetzagentur, who said that the incumbent carrier has to make its network available to competitors. In this process, Deutsche Telekom will have to grant competitors such as Vodafone PLC the ability to connect into its street cabinets where the copper facilities and network electronics reside.
The mandate, explains Bundesnetzagentur, is designed to give competitors the ability offer similar service speeds (VDSL2) that Deutsche Telekom can provide. And if DT can't make room for a competitor in the street cabinets, they will have to provide access to dark fiber facilities.
While VATM, a German competitive telecom association, and Vodafone said they were encouraged by the decision, concerns remain. "Still, this is the first step only, we now have to wait [to see] what Deutsche Telekom will charge for access to its broadband infrastructure," said a Vodafone spokesperson.
For more:
- Total Telecom via Dow Jones has this article
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