aconium: Lemwerder is home to internationally active shipyards and companies in the wind energy sector as well as agricultural businesses. How important is broadband expansion for these different industries here locally?
Ralph Obalski: Broadband expansion is extremely important for all companies based in Lemwerder, regardless of their sector. The close links along the value chain play a major role here. The globally active shipyards in Lemwerder and the neighboring municipality of Berne, for example, work closely with local craft businesses such as carpenters, metalworkers and painters. The exchange of project-related data and smooth communication with each other are essential in this context. Incidentally, this assessment applies to the entire district of Wesermarsch, which is characterized by a high density of industry and the resulting close links between end customers and suppliers and service providers. There is also a considerable need for efficient digital infrastructure in the agricultural sector, the keyword here is “digital farming”, which has already been discussed many times.
aconium: What is the current status of fiber optic installation in the municipality?
Ralph Obalski: The availability of high-speed Internet is already available throughout the town center, at least at a reasonably satisfactory level. Of course, there will be new demands on performance and speed in the future, which will result in corresponding demands on the telecommunications companies. In the outer areas of the municipality, there is still “room for improvement” in terms of fiber optic installation. However, the subsidized expansion of the fibre optic network, which is being launched this year in the entire district of Wesermarsch and also includes the municipality of Lemwerder, will drive development forward once again.
aconium: How do you see Lemwerder positioned in terms of the integration of digital applications compared to other towns in the Wesermarsch district?
Ralph Obalski: Lemwerder – just like the towns of Elsfleth, Brake and Nordenham – benefits from its location on the Weser. This is where the major economic powerhouses are located and where most people live. The situation is different in the rural communities and districts in the north and west of the district, where broadband coverage is still very patchy. This will be remedied by the broadband expansion program mentioned above, which is being financed by the federal, state and district governments and will connect more than 1,300 households to high-speed Internet in addition to the expansion of the Jaderberg, Ovelgönne, Nordenham and Elsfleth industrial estates. What is remarkable in the case of the municipality of Lemwerder is that the majority of the subsidized expansion areas are being equipped according to the FTTH principle.
aconium: In which specific projects will the Lemwerder population benefit from the advantages of broadband expansion in the future?
Ralph Obalski: First of all, pupils from the municipality of Lemwerder and from the entire Wesermarsch region will benefit: all schools in the district – elementary school, secondary schools and the vocational school – will be equipped with particularly fast broadband. This meets the general requirement to start developing digital skills at a young age. Broadband expansion will also play a role in the conceptual reorientation of mobility in rural areas. The district of Wesermarsch is a model region as part of the BMVI model project “Supply & Mobility”, and the digital solutions already being discussed in this context require rapid data availability. From the point of view of business development, the benefits for companies in the district of Wesermarsch are of particular importance: the already good performance of local companies will be maintained and further strengthened in the course of the expansion. The people in the district benefit directly from this, as many Wesermarsch residents are employed by the companies located in the immediate vicinity. The importance of the district as a tourist region should also not be neglected: the number of visitors has been increasing for years, with tourists from all over Germany and the Benelux countries spending their vacations in the Wesermarsch. The expectation of these visitors for fast information and communication options is being met with the expansion of the broadband network.
Photo: Ralph Obalski, Business and Location Development, Wesermarsch Economic Development Agency.
Photo credit: Wesermarsch Economic Development Agency.