Deutsche Telekom To Share Fibre With Vodafone

Deutsche Telekom To Share Fibre With Vodafone

Deutsche Telekom (DT), Germany's incumbent telco, has agreed to cooperate with at least one rival on next generation broadband investment, following political pressure from Brussels.

The European Commission has argued for years that DT's plan not to allow competitors wholesale access to newinternet infrastructure - a potential monopoly which was backed by the German government - violated European anti-trust rules. The Commission is suing the German administration at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg over the row.



Vodafone will lay fibre to street side cabinets in Heilbronn, and DT will do the same in Würzburg. They will both then allow the other wholesale access.

DT said it would be open to working with other rivals too, but did not provide any details. The Vodafone partnership will begin in 2009.