German operators commit EUR 8.5 bln to expanding FTTB/H networks in 2026
GERMANY 8 JUN

German operators commit EUR 8.5 bln to expanding FTTB/H networks in 2026

German network operators including Telekom Deutschland, Vodafone, Telefonica Germany, 1&1, Deutsche Glasfaser and EWE Tel have pledged to invest EUR 8.5 billion this year, on top of more investments in 2027 and 2028, to expand FTTB/H networks. The commitments are set out in a memorandum of understanding with the government, federal states, municipal organisations and industry associations to accelerate the expansion of public fixed-line and mobile networks in the country.

Telefonica Germany teams up with OQ Technology to test D2D satellite connectivity
GERMANY 8 JUN

Telefonica Germany teams up with OQ Technology to test D2D satellite connectivity

Telefonica Germany said it is teaming up with  satellite operator OQ Technology to demonstrate sovereign European D2D satellite connectivity from low earth orbit (LEO) directly to smartphones. The test will take place over the course of this year in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania  in Germany, using Telefonica's frequency spectrum. The companies will test OQ's LEO satellites operated at an altitude of around 500 km to 600 km, to cover unserved areas in a more targeted manner.

Vodafone Germany rolls out update for new TV App
GERMANY 8 JUN

Vodafone Germany rolls out update for new TV App

Vodafone Germany has announced an update of its new Vodafone TV App, adding features. The app replaced the GigaTV Mobile App a few weeks ago and gives users access to live television streaming of channels in HD and SD, on-demand media libraries from public and private broadcasters, and video-on-demand content. The TV app's features include the ability to create a channel list, record content, restart programmes, personalise recommendations, restrict inappropriate content, and provide AirPlay support.

German FTTH and FTTB connections rise by over 1 mln in 2025
GERMANY 5 JUN

German FTTH and FTTB connections rise by over 1 mln in 2025

The number of active Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) and Fibre-to-the-Building (FTTB) connections in Germany rose by more than 1 million year on year from 5.3 million to 6.4 million, in 2025, according to the annual report by the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur or BNetzA). The share of fibre-optic lines in the fixed-line broadband network increased from 13.7 percent in 2024 to 16.5 percent by the end of 2025. By comparison, the share of DSL connections fell from 61.1 percent to 58.5 percent during the sa

Apple picks Berlin to open first developer centre in Europe
GERMANY 5 JUN

Apple picks Berlin to open first developer centre in Europe

Apple said it has chosen Berlin as the location of its first developer centre in Europe, which will open later this year. It will host app developers, designers and programmers who will cooperate with Apple engineers. Developers will have access to  technologies providing more than 250,000 APIs across frameworks such as HealthKit, Metal, Core ML, MapKit and SwiftUI.

German market launch of DVB-I TV standard set for September - report
GERMANY 4 JUN

German market launch of DVB-I TV standard set for September - report

The market launch of the DVB-I TV standard in Germany is set for September, epd medien reportedm citing the DVB-I Book Germany. The document was adopted in May by the DVB-I Roundtable. The stakeholders supporting the adoption of the standard include broadcasters, device manufacturers and regulatory bodies, according to the report. DVB-I aims to integrate traditional television via satellite, cable networks and terrestrial transmission with IPTV and streaming services.

German fibre networks reach almost half of homes in 2025, up 6 percentage points in 6 months
GERMANY 4 JUN

German fibre networks reach almost half of homes in 2025, up 6 percentage points in 6 months

The fibre-optic network in Germany reached just under 50 percent of households for the first time by the end of 2025, according the Federal Ministry for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation (BMDS). Almost half of German residences had access to fibre connections extending into the building (FTTB) or into the home (FTTH), or would be able to have one installed at short notice. This represents an increase of 6 percentage points within a six-month period.

Pyur expands fibre-optic network for 7,700 households in Weisswasser
GERMANY 4 JUN

Pyur expands fibre-optic network for 7,700 households in Weisswasser

Pyur, the brand of German operator Tele Columbus, has expanded the fibre-optic network for 7,700 households in Weisswasser. Residents in the city located in the state of Saxony have now access to internet speeds of up to 1 Gbps. Connections providing 1 Gbps speeds cost EUR 39 monthly for new customers, the 250 Mbps EUR 23 per month, and the 500 Mbps EUR 29 monthly.

Saleforce buys Berlin-based content management system platform Contentful
GERMANY 3 JUN

Saleforce buys Berlin-based content management system platform Contentful

Salesforce has acquired Berlin-based content management system platform Contentful. Saleforce will integrate Contentful's API-first management system, making it accessible on its autonomous AI platform Agentforce. Contentful stores content created for delivery via interfaces (APIs) to websites, apps or other applications.

M-net offers new Internet 2000 fibre tariff at EUR 15 monthly for first 6 months
GERMANY 2 JUN

M-net offers new Internet 2000 fibre tariff at EUR 15 monthly for first 6 months

German regional operator M-net has introduced its new Internet 2000 fibre-optic tariff, providing a download speed of up to 2 Gbps speeds and uploads at up to 1 Gbps. The Internet 2000 subscription costs EUR 14.90 monthly for the first six months, EUR 84.90 monthly from the seventh to the 24th month of contract, and EUR 89.90 from the 25th month. The plan has become available in and around Munich, Augsburg, Erlangen and Kempten. In areas surrounding Munich, the tariff costs EUR 119.90 starting from the seve

Telefonica partners EWE to expand 5G in northwestern Germany
GERMANY 2 JUN

Telefonica partners EWE to expand 5G in northwestern Germany

Telefonica Germany has announced an agreement with the EWE group to expand the mobile network in northwestern Germany, and connect 5G masts to the fibre-optic network. Under the agreement, EWE provides fibre-optic connections and its own masts to support the expansion of Telefonica's 5G network. Additionally, EWE is supporting the construction of new mobile sites and connecting them directly to the fibre-optic network.

Germany signs MoU with Estonia to foster AI use
GERMANY 2 JUN

Germany signs MoU with Estonia to foster AI use

The German government has announced a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Estonia to foster the use of artificial intelligence (AI). The Federal Ministry for Digitisation and Government Modernisation (BMDS) said the two countries will share concepts, best practices, lessons and policies on ways to support the development and adoption of agentic AI and AI platform technologies in the public sector. They will explore aligning approaches for developing platforms such as AI sandboxes, a trustworthy AI toolbo

GERMANY 2 JUN

Virtus installs 185 MVA transformers at Berlin-Brandenburg data centre campus

Virtus Data Centres, part of ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC) has completed the installation of two 185 MVA super-grid transformers at its Wustermark campus in Berlin-Brandenburg, supporting the site's initial 300 MW capacity and planned future expansion. The company said the transformers are among the largest deployed at a European data centre and form part of a power architecture that includes a dedicated 500 MW substation and dual direct connections to the 380 kV transmission network operated b

GERMANY 1 JUN

RTL closes Sky Deutschland acquisition

RTL has announced the closing of the transaction to acquire Sky Deutschland, following the unconditional approval received from the European Commission on 22 April. At closing, RTL has fully acquired Sky's businesses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, including customer relationships in Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and South Tyrol on a cash-free and debt-free basis.

GERMANY 1 JUN

Telefonica Germany to shut down 2G in H2 2028

Telefonica Germany has announced that it will switch off its 2G mobile standard network during the second half of 2028. In future, the company will use the freed-up frequencies for 4G and 5G mobile coverage instead, thereby creating more capacity for mobile telephony, data traffic and connected applications.

GERMANY 1 JUN

T-Systems signs AI cloud infrastructure partnership with Scheer Group companies

Deutsche Telekom subsidiary T-Systems said it has signed a strategic partnership with companies of the Scheer Group for the use of its T Cloud Public and Industrial AI Cloud infrastructure, and consulting services. Scheer PAS, a company within the Scheer Group, will use its Agentic Process Orchestration Platform to leverage T Cloud Public and Industrial AI Cloud infrastructure from T-Systems in Munich. The Agentic Orchestration Platform enables the integration and control of artificial intelligence agents a

GERMANY 29 MEI

German pirate TV causes 33% more financial damage in 2025 than 2022

The illegal use of live television in Germany caused financial damages of approximately EUR 2.4 billion in 2025, a 33 percent increase compared with 2022, according to a study conducted by Goldmedia Strategy Consulting on behalf of Vaunet. Last year, around 7.7 million people in Germany watched pirate TV.

GERMANY 29 MEI

Telefonica Germany discontinues MMS in July

Telefonica Germany will cease the service to exchange MMS messages from 01 July. The company started the service through its O2 brand in 2002. Now customers are using​a a wide range of messenger services, social networks, and modern messaging standards such as Rich Communication Services (RCS) to exchange images, videos, or files, the company said to explain why it is discontinuing the service.

GERMANY 29 MEI

Tele Columbus records 33% EBITDA jump in Q1 thanks to cost discipline

German operator Tele Columbus said EBITDA rose by 33 percent year-on-year in Q1 2026 to EUR 43.2 million, driven by efficiency measures and rigorous cost discipline. Normalised EBITDA grew by 13 recent during the period to EUR 44.2 million. Revenues increased slightly by 0.6 percent year-on-year to EUR 105.5 million, with growth in the internet and telephony business offsetting a decline in the TV business. Revenues generated through the internet and telephony business rose by 6.5 percent to EUR 61.2 millio

GERMANY 28 MEI

Vodafone Germany inks open access network agreement with Deutsche GigaNetz

Vodafone Germany has signed a letter of intent for a long-term wholesale agreement with Deutsche GigaNetz. This will enable 500,000 households and businesses to subscribe to Vodafone's internet, TV and telephony services over the Deutsche GigaNetz network from 2027. By 2030, Deutsche GigaNetz aims to extend its networks by 1 million FTTH connections.  Deutsche GigaNetz currently operates fibre-optic networks in approximately 200 cities and municipalities in twelve federal states in Germany.

GERMANY 27 MEI

Deutsche Telekom lifts data volume on mobile broadband plans

Deutsche Telekom is increasing data volume of its MagentaMobil Data plans for new and existing customers. Aimed at laptop and tablet users, the new MagentaMobil Data S includes 10 GB for EUR 14.95 per month, MagentaMobil Data M comes with 40 GB for EUR 19.95 per month, and MagentaMobil Data L offers 80 GB for EUR 29.95 per month. Customers can subscribe to the plans for 24 months, or via the Flex option without a minimum contract term. 

GERMANY 27 MEI

German govt approves bill to require streamers invest in local productions

The German government has approved a draft law obliging streaming services and broadcasters to invest in local production. The bill proposes a minimum 8 percent of their annual revenues in Germany go to local productions. In addition, there are sub-quotas for investments in German-language content, independent producers, and new productions, as well as requirements for a fair sharing of rights with independent producers.

GERMANY 27 MEI

Sky Deutschland extends rights for English Premier League

Sky Deutschland has extended its rights to broadcast the English Premier League in Germany for another three seasons, until the 2030/31 season. Under the latest agreement, Sky Sport will broadcast all 380 matches of the Premier League per season.

GERMANY 26 MEI

Telefonica Germany to provide 5G to over 100 events this year

Telefonica Germany announced it will provide extra 5G coverage to more than 100 festivals, public fairs, sporting events, and major gatherings this year, a 25 percent increase year-on-year. The first major festival this year is Rock am Ring, on June 05-07. Telefonica will set up four so-called Mobile Radio Trailers amid expected data traffic of over 100,000 gigabytes at the event.

Just In

01:07

Apple unveils Siri AI as EU, China rollouts face delay

01:04

Apple claims DMA rules are delaying Siri AI launch in the EU

01:02

Apple updates parental controls as it expands AI tools for developers

8 JUN 21:31

Brazil mobile market adds 1 mln lines in April

Commentary

5 MEI 10:55

KPN: the art of making one-offs structural

4 MEI 14:25

Open Dutch Fiber outlook: time to restart roll-out?

20 APR 10:36

Netflix back to organic growth and doing just fine

11 FEB 12:29

Odido shareholders face tricky exit after abandoned IPO

Background

1 JUN 00:13

The week in telecom: EU telcos push sovereign services as governments question foreign tech investors

23 MEI 23:42

The week in telecom: Starlink ready to go public, Singapore telco M&A and Google courts AI subscribers at I/O

18 MEI 00:31

The week in telecom: US operators mount rural satellite challenge, Cisco cashes in on AI boom

11 MEI 00:53

The week in telecom: Lumen, NTT turn to data centre market to revive growth, Hutchison exits UK