On April 20, District Administrator Dr. Michael Lübbersmann, State Secretary Stefan Muhle (Lower Saxony Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour, Transport and Digitalization), Stefan Molkentin (Regional Manager of aconium GmbH, project sponsor of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, BMVI), Reinhard Scholz (Mayor of the town of Melle and spokesperson for the Conference of Mayors), Jens Strebe (Deputy Mayor of the municipality of Bad Essen) and representatives of the telecommunications company commissioned to carry out the project in Bad Essen to mark the start of broadband expansion in the district of Osnabrück with a symbolic ground-breaking ceremony.
The infrastructure project of the district’s own infrastructure company TELKOS is being funded by the BMVI’s federal broadband funding program to the tune of 15 million euros. In addition, the district and its 34 towns and municipalities are contributing 13.69 million euros of their own funds as well as 5 million euros in third-party funding. Over 6,000 households and 689 companies will benefit from bandwidths of at least 50 Mbit/s. “The new network will create a locational advantage that will benefit families, the self-employed and companies,” said District Administrator Lübbersmann. He thanked the federal government and the state of Lower Saxony for supporting the broadband expansion in the district of Osnabrück with funding. TELKOS will be carrying out 542 kilometers of civil engineering work over the next few months.
At the event, State Secretary Muhle praised the district of Osnabrück for having set out on the right path years ago to provide everyone with the best possible high-speed Internet. He added: “We are also pursuing this route for the whole of Lower Saxony. The Osnabrück region can be seen as a prime example of this.”
Photo: State Secretary Stefan Muhle (Lower Saxony Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour, Transport and Digitalization, right), District Administrator Dr Michael Lübbersmann (center), Stefan Molkentin (Regional Head of aconium, left), Peer Beyersdorff (Broadband Competence Centre Lower Saxony, 2nd from right) and Dirk Holtgrewe (District of Osnabrück, 3rd from left) with representatives of the telecommunications company carrying out the work. f. r.) and Dirk Holtgrewe (District of Osnabrück, 3rd from left) with representatives of the telecommunications company carrying out the work at the symbolic ground-breaking ceremony for the district of Osnabrück in Bad Essen on 20.04.2018.
Photo credit: District of Osnabrück.