Broadband portal for accelerated fiber optic expansion launched

In order to significantly accelerate the expansion of fibre optics in Germany, the states of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate have implemented a joint project to digitalize the application and approval process for broadband expansion as part of the implementation of the Online Access Act (OZG).

Section 127 (1) of the German Telecommunications Act (TKG) stipulates that when laying cables on public roads, it must be ensured that traffic is not impaired and that the telecommunications lines are adequately protected from damage. For this reason, the law stipulates that the approval of the relevant local authority is required for every cable installation. This application procedure can now be carried out centrally in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region via the new broadband portal and is available for use by the first eight pilot municipalities.

Particularly in the expansion process for telecommunications networks, the time periods between application and approval of civil engineering and expansion work are to be improved and standardized in order to significantly shorten the time periods until technical commissioning. Applications are submitted and processed via the portal using largely standardized and seamless processes that meet the requirements of both the telecommunications companies on the application side and the approval authorities on the approval side.

Following the ongoing pilot phase, the portal will be implemented in the federal states interested in subsequent use as part of the one-for-all (EfA) services under the OZG. The broadband portal is also one of the 35 OZG projects to be implemented as a priority by the federal government and part of the federal government’s gigabit strategy in the context of accelerating fiber optic expansion projects.