Saarland has decided to speed up the approval process for gigabit expansion. In future, network operators are to be freed from time-consuming paper applications. “High-performance digital networks and heavy folders simply don’t go together. In order to achieve the expansion targets of our gigabit strategy even faster, we are now igniting the approval turbo,” said Jürgen Barke, Saarland Minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Affairs. The digital application portal is part of the implementation of the Online Access Act (OZG). The development was adopted by the states of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate and has recently been made available to other states for subsequent use. At least 80 percent of local authorities should be connected to the portal by the end of 2026. To date, the development and pilot operation of the portal has been financed by the federal government. The state funding of 200,000 euros represents start-up financing for the project in Saarland. The project will run for three years. After that, the operating costs for the software will be borne by the local authorities themselves. A higher contribution from the local authorities will result in a lower financial burden for them.
Saarland speeds up approval procedures
