Deutsche Telekom and Telefónica Deutschland reach fiber deal

Deutsche Telekom and Telefónica Deutschland announced a network sharing deal under which at least 5,000 Telefónica Deutschland mobile base stations will be connected via Deutsche Telekom's fiber-optic network in the long term.

Deutsche Telekom said the commitment enables its to dedicate more resources to its own network expansion. T

Deutsche Telekom and Telefónica Deutschland concluded their first mobile backhaul contract in 2011.

"This agreement is an important step toward ensuring the future viability of Germany's mobile communications infrastructure," said Dirk Wössner, Managing Director of Telekom Deutschland, on the occasion of the signing. "Everyone will win from this cooperation, because Deutsche Telekom and Telefónica can both capture synergies. The resources that we save will be dedicated directly to our own network upgrades and the development of 5G. Deutsche Telekom is building and operating the largest fiber-optic network in Germany by far. We are very pleased that we will now be utilizing our infrastructure together with Telefónica – because it will benefit Germany and millions of people." The cooperation also shows that telecommunications providers seek to cooperate without regulatory intervention, said Wössner.