Europe’s telecom shakeup is accelerating as United Internet, 1&1, Ionos and Virgin Media O2 pursue cost cuts while Deutsche Telekom expands multicloud services and Eutelsat advances OneWeb launches. For VoIP providers, cloud communications teams and connectivity buyers, these moves signal tighter margins, evolving infrastructure strategies and service reliability challenges ahead
Germany is undergoing a significant shift from DSL to fibre optic broadband, with Vodafone at the forefront by offering competitive fibre plans like GigaZuhause. These plans significantly boost download and upload speeds without raising costs, making them attractive to over 10 million households. This transition supports the Digital Ministry’s goals while addressing new challenges in broadband provider choices.
Germany’s antitrust authority has accused Vodafone and Vantage Towers of blocking 1&1’s 5G rollout by withholding promised tower access. The delay, the regulator claims, harms competition and could have been avoided.
German carriers Vodafone and 1&1 have launched a national roaming partnership, enhancing mobile communications across Germany. New 1&1 customers can seamlessly access Vodafone’s network in areas not yet covered by 1&1. Existing 1&1 customers will also benefit, accessing both 1&1’s 5G network and Vodafone’s national roaming.
In a strategic move, 1&1 penetrates the German 5G market through a new agreement with Vodafone, leaving Telefonica potentially at a loss. Details of the agreement, such as leveraging on Vodafone’s robust 5G, 2G, and 4G networks, and potential future technologies, raise various possibilities for 1&1’s continued growth.
