DT urged to hook up with utility companies for rural broadband

Local newspaper Handelsblatt reports that the Federal Network Agency is encouraging Deutsche Telekom (DT) to link up companies from the utilities sector so as to cut rural broadband connection costs. DT has spent around USD4.2 billion deploying its high speed broadband connection in large cities but according to Handelsblatt the company is finding it to difficult to find other telcos to share the costs of rural expansion. Utility firm RWE says it is looking into the matter, while E.ON has so far refused to comment.