2021 a massive boost in broadband expansion is to be expected. According to industry experts, the self-economic expansion of network operators, delayed by the corona pandemic, is likely to become faster; many state-funded projects would actually be implemented after years of planning and approval.

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Norbert Westfal, President of the Federal Association of Broadband Communication (Breko), expected for 2021 a “fiberglass explosion”. An “extreme concentration of projects” is to be expected, said Sven Knapp from the capital office of the alliance of Deutsche Telekom’s competitors, who are gathering in Breko, on Thursday at the virtual conference Fiberweek.

“Empty specialist market” Many of the expansion projects should start in the middle of next year, emphasized Alexander Thomas from the service provider Deutscher Bauservice. Thousands of site managers would be needed alone, thousands of households would have to be entered, so that “the skilled labor market will be swept clean”. In addition, many civil engineers underestimated the workload, as the minimum depth must be adhered to with funded initiatives and a picture with geodata must be made for the proof of work every 500 meters.

The current figures from the federal funding program for broadband expansion, which the government 2015 and 2018 aimed at fiber optics indicate a boom in the coming year. “Funding notices were issued for 7.3 billion euros,” explained Tim Brauckmüller, managing director of the federal broadband office at Atene Kom. The sum could still grow significantly by the end of the year. With a federal funding share of 50 percent, the result is Billions of euros in total investments.

The Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure paid out a total of