Telekom Deutschland (TD), the domestic fixed and mobile unit of Deutsche Telekom (DT), has announced an agreement with regional utility and telecoms company EWE for the reciprocal use of their existing network infrastructure in northwest Germany. The partnership covers nearly 400 local networks in Lower Saxony, Bremen and parts of North Rhine-Westphalia, encompassing a market potential of 3.5 million households and companies in the region. The firms says the reciprocal use of existing fibre-optic (VDSL and vectoring) networks will give consumers a wider choice of providers and services, including maximum downstream speeds of 100Mbps.
TD will market its new ‘Zuhause Start’ fixed telephony and broadband bundles in areas served primarily by EWE, starting with the Oldenburg region next month, followed by the other areas in September. EWE has already begun offering transmission speeds of up to 100Mbps in areas serviced by TD across its regional footprint. ‘We are very pleased that we’ve found another partner that will help us advance broadband expansion in Germany,’ commented DT board member Niek Jan van Damme, adding: ‘Sharing infrastructure makes the upgrades more cost-effective for the companies, and the customers benefit from greater choice of provider.’