Overview
- Germany’s competition advisory body warns that the copper‑to‑fiber shift could let former state monopolists such as Deutsche Telekom regain dominance.
- It recommends prioritizing two or more independent fiber builds where economically viable and setting a minimum of four fibers per residence to enable easy provider choice and switching.
- The commission urges the Bundesnetzagentur to move from a moderating to a forceful role by setting fixed timelines for copper shutdowns and establishing binding Open Access standards.
- It ties support for the EU’s planned Digital Networks Act to continued strict oversight of firms with proven market power and rejects a new dispute body or mandated fees for Big Tech traffic, saying terms should be commercially negotiated.
- The report finds Europe–US submarine connectivity broadly resilient but flags repair‑ship shortages in the Baltic and Mediterranean and separately advises cutting postal delivery from six to five days to reflect falling letter volumes.