Broadband test: German fiber optics and Telekom win, Vodafone disappoints

Since mid-2021 there have been around 29.3 million stationary Internet connections throughout Germany that are – theoretically – gigabit-capable. Both the cable connections according to Docsis 3.1 and the fiber optic cables are combined here. A year later, the number of gigabit-capable stationary Internet connections has risen to 35.8 million, with more than 10 million of these being fiber optic connections. Now, in the broadband test, the magazine Connect together with the measurement specialist Zafaco Internet provider tested in Germany. Telekom was the nationwide test winner with 931 out of a possible 1,000 points.

German fiber optics achieves the highest score of all providers

There is room for improvement in the ratio of the actual download rate to the contractually agreed maximum value. Although the British provider Vodafone is Germany’s second-largest landline provider with 11.1 million customers, the test result is disappointing. The long connection setup times and the high number of cases in which the upload bandwidth falls below the contractually guaranteed data rate are criticized. According to the testers, this is often the case with digital cable connections in particular. The German glass fiber managed a surprise. For the first time, DeutscheOSS took part in the broadband test and directly scored more points than Deutsche Telekom. No other Internet provider achieved 939 points. However, the Telekom and the German fiber optics competed in two different categories. Thus, the German glass fiber wins the category of the regional providers, because according to the VATM there are almost 0.4 million users. Although the bandwidth is praised, long voice delays in fixed-line telephony, especially to and from mobile networks, are negative. Also, website downloads could be faster.

167,860 evaluated individual measurements served as the basis for the test. The publicly available results of the Federal Network Agency’s broadband measurement served as a basis for this. Depending on the provider, you currently pay between 70 and 90 euros per month for an Internet contract with fiber optics and 1,000 Mbit/s download. In the future, such contracts are to become more expensive, as Jürgen Hansjosten, managing director of the infrastructure fund Infrafiber, explains.

Also worth reading: Fiber optics: Providers want to raise prices soon

Collection of the fixed network and broadband test in Germany 2022:

• Together with the measurement specialist Zafaco, the Connect magazine evaluated 167,860 individual measurements. The publicly available results of the Federal Network Agency’s broadband measurement served as a basis for this.
• The broadband and fixed network offer from Deutsche Telekom won the nationwide test. There is room for improvement in the ratio of the actual download rate to the contractually agreed maximum value.
• Among the regional providers, the German fiber optics triumphed, with 939 out of 1,000 possible points, more points than any other provider. In the case of fixed-line telephony, long voice delays are negative and website downloads could be faster.

Source: Connect