Work on expanding the broadband network in the district of Rotenburg (Wümme) has been underway since the beginning of 2018. The expansion is being realized with the help of two ongoing federal funding applications and is divided into two different expansion areas. The ground-breaking ceremony took place on 30.01.2019 in Bremervörde-Plönjeshausen. Among others, District Administrator Hermann Luttmann, Mayor Detlef Fischer (Bremervörde), Stefan Gottesleben (funding consultant at aconium GmbH, project sponsor of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, BMVI), chief administrative officers of the municipalities and the state as well as representatives of the broadband competence center and the contracted telecommunications company came together.
What is already possible today in large parts of the city center will also apply to around 617 households in the districts in the future. They will receive a direct fiber optic connection (FTTB) and can therefore be supplied with up to 1 GBit/s in the future. The expansion in Bremervörde will take place in the eligible areas of the districts of Plönjeshausen, Bevern, Minstedt, Spreckens, Nierder-Ochtenhausen, Elm, Hönau-Lindorf, Mehedorf, Iselersheim, Ostendorf and Hesedorf. The total costs for this expansion area amount to EUR 3,654,028. The so-called economic viability gap of EUR 2,453,799 remaining after deduction of the revenue will be subsidized by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure with 50 percent. The state of Lower Saxony is financing a further 154,000 euros via EU funds. In accordance with the district council’s decision in December, the city of Bremervörde and the district will each share the remaining funding gap equally.
“The expansion in the districts of Bremervörde is another important step on our way to equipping as many connections in the district as possible with gigabit capability. This is the only way to meet the growing demand for bandwidth,” emphasizes District Administrator Luttmann. Bremervörde’s mayor Detlef Fischer adds: “Our declared goal is to connect all areas that we are now allowed to support and that can be financed with future-proof fiber optic connections.”
All citizens who can benefit from the expansion will be contacted directly by the telecommunications company and informed about the new options. Anyone who decides to order a house connection in the respective area during the construction phase, “as long as the trenches are open”, will receive this free of charge.