Tag: Utzmenningen

Integrating next-generation Internet in to a natural-gas rollout project in Germany

Mehr VDSL im Raum Bopfingen – VDSL.de (Germany – German language)

My comments

Just lately, the German VDSL2 next-generation broadband Internet network could be increasing its footprint in parts of Bopfingen, a small city in Baden-Württemberg. The intended scope is to cover the communities of Pfaumloch, Goldburghausen and Utzmemmingen

This is intended to be part of a natural-gas rollout project that is servicing the neighbourhood and this project would provide the opportunity to lay down a fibre-optic backbone to service this same area with VDSL2 next-generation Internet service.

The Bundesregierung (German federal government) were intending to offer to underpin this project at a cost of 450k Euro.

There is some resentment about the VDSL deployment in Goldburghaussen because of the perceived extra expense that the fibre-optic backbone would cause. It is more so for a small VDSL2 deployment which covers fewer “doors” than the other deployments in this region because the economies of scale don’t exist in these locations. This is although Goldburghaussen could increase its VDSL2 service demand due to business wanting to set up where there is the “full-on” next-generation Internet.

There is public money going towards this project, especially from the Bundesregierung as previously detailed. But the main feature that I liked of this project is that it is intended to be part of an already-funded infrastructure-rollout project i.e. the gas rollout where similar work is being done, thus avoiding the need to put up more of the public money just to perform new works for this project.

It should still be subject to competitive access requirements so that there is the ability to deliver competitively-priced service.

Therefore I would support the concurrent deployment if next-generation Internet service with a major customer-facing infrastructure project like a natural-gas rollout or power-cable undergrounding project.