📋 Tender Overview
The latest broadband report shows: The internet for people in the country is noticeably faster. 94 percent of households in Baden-Württemberg now have a download speed of at least 50 Mbit/s.
“A comprehensive supply of fast internet is a once-in-a-lifetime task for our country. For this reason, we are investing heavily in the gigabit network in Baden-Württemberg. It pays off: 94 percent of households now have a download speed of at least 50 Mbit/s. 90 percent of households currently have a supply of at least 100 Mbit/s. This means an increase of more than 22 percentage points compared to mid-2016. According to the latest figures, the coverage of gigabit-capable connections - i.e. even 1000 Mbit/s - in the country is well over 70 percent. In mid-2016, when we launched our digitalization strategy, only 1.4 percent of households in the country were equipped with gigabit-capable infrastructure. The Internet is noticeably faster for many people in the country - and that was an important goal when we launched our digitalization strategy in 2016," said Deputy Prime Minister and Digitalization Minister Thomas Strobl on the occasion of the publication of the country's new broadband report (PDF) .
Baden-Württemberg remains among the front runners
Since the start of the new legislative period in May 2021 until December 2023, the state has made 1.47 billion euros in state funding available for broadband expansion and supported over 243,000 new fiber optic connections in Baden-Württemberg. Since 2016, as of December 13, 2023, the state has provided 2.62 billion euros for 3,564 funding projects and the federal government has provided a further 3.36 billion euros, a total of 5.98 billion euros. “We have approved around 450 million euros in funding for 183 funding projects in 2023. This means we can implement more than 74,000 new fiber optic connections. The federal government has provided a further around 710 million euros for broadband funding projects in Baden-Württemberg, a total of around 1.16 billion euros. Thanks to our investment offensive and an intelligent funding policy, we have ensured that the state continues to be one of the front runners in funded broadband expansion nationwide. As a leading innovation and technology region, an efficient and comprehensive digital infrastructure is the basic requirement for maintaining our economic strength and prosperity,” explained Minister Thomas Strobl.
The new broadband report
The new broadband report shows the successes in broadband provision over the last few years in Baden-Württemberg. It was released on December 30, 2023. In addition to current figures on broadband expansion, the report also contains practical examples from the districts and clearly shows how broadband provision is progressing in the country and which innovative processes are being used to meet the particular challenges of nationwide broadband expansion.
The latest publication of the Federal Network Agency's broadband coverage figures from December 14, 2023 with data as of June 2023 shows: The supply of gigabit-capable infrastructure in the country is continuously increasing. The most current data shows that 18.25 percent of households in Baden-Württemberg have fiber optic connections. According to this, the supply of fiber optic connections in buildings increased by around 7.3 percentage points from mid-2022, from 10.94 percent to mid-2023.
Provision of gigabit-capable connections also in rural areas
“A comprehensive supply of gigabit-capable connections must be guaranteed everywhere, especially in rural areas, which are often uneconomical for private telecommunications companies. There are many hidden champions in Baden-Württemberg, particularly in rural areas, i.e. world market leaders who rely on fast internet in order to remain competitive on global markets. Broadband expansion is particularly important here, on the one hand, to maintain and expand the country's economic strength and, on the other hand, to contribute to the creation of equal living conditions," said Digitalization Minister Thomas Strobl.
It currently takes an average of almost three years from the start of construction of the project to completion. The majority of municipal funding projects are currently being implemented. Accordingly, the supply of fast internet will continue to improve in the near future.
The fast mobile network also plays an important role in the nationwide supply of gigabit-capable networks. Mobile phone coverage in Baden-Württemberg is constantly improving. Currently, almost 96 percent of the country is covered by 4G (LTE). The 5G expansion is also making rapid progress. Almost 83 percent of the area is equipped with the latest mobile communications standard. By the end of 2024, the majority of the “white spots” in the mobile network in Baden-Württemberg are expected to be closed - i.e. areas in which neither 4G/LTE nor 5G radio signals can be received.
Annual review 2023
A comprehensive supply of gigabit-capable infrastructure can only be achieved by combining self-financing and subsidized expansion. Of course, primary responsibility for expanding the digital infrastructure still lies with the telecommunications companies. The industry can also look back on a successful broadband year:
Michael Jungwirth, member of the management board of Vodafone Germany, can report: “2023 was a good year for mobile communications and landlines in Baden-Württemberg. Today there are significantly fewer dead spots and significantly more 5G than there was a year ago. At the same time, we began to introduce technologies that reduce the power requirements of mobile phone stations in the state. The fixed network has become more stable and better thanks to numerous measures and more and more fiber optics.”
