Saxony lags behind in fiber optic expansion

Saxony is in the lower midfield nationwide in terms of fiber optic expansion. According to information from the federal government's broadband atlas on fiber optic coverage, around 29 percent of private households in the state have a direct fiber optic connection, as the Federal Network Agency announced on request. This is only enough for 11th place in a nationwide comparison, with Hamburg in first place with more than 73 percent, followed by Schleswig-Holstein (62 percent) and Lower Saxony (60 percent).

The Saxon Ministry of Economic Affairs nevertheless points to great progress in recent years. For example, the proportion of fiber optic connections has more than tripled since 2017 - from 7.8% to 29.1%. "This shows how committed the topic has been in recent years," explained the ministry.

Billions in funding - but white spots remain

The Free State relies heavily on funding. Since 2016, around 2.12 billion euros from federal funds have flowed into Saxony - around 13 percent of all funding nationwide. The state is currently co-financing 224 broadband projects with around 1.35 billion euros. Almost all districts and independent cities are involved in the expansion, it said. Nevertheless, around 4.2 percent of households are still considered "white spots" without sufficient internet coverage.

The telecommunications companies are planning to push ahead with the expansion in Saxony. Telekom, for example, wants to connect around 128,000 more households and companies in Saxony to the fiber optic network by 2025, bringing the total number in the state to around 735,000. Vodafone and Deutsche Glasfaser are also continuing to expand their networks. According to Vodafone, it already supplies more than 730,000 households via fiber optic lines and is planning a further 120,000 pure fiber optic connections. Deutsche Glasfaser has implemented 25,000 connections to date. Others are currently under construction or being marketed.

Political backing for nationwide expansion

The state government announced that it would continue to consistently pursue the expansion target in the future. According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the coalition agreement between the CDU and SPD clearly commits to the nationwide expansion of fiber optics. The aim remains to continue to rapidly expand the digital infrastructure - even in regions that have been underserved to date.