In this way, municipalities are accelerating their fiber optic expansion with the broadband portal
The expansion of fiber optics in Germany is an important social task, but one that brings with it some bureaucratic challenges. This also applies to road safety. This includes all legal, technical and organizational measures to ensure the use and safety of public paths during construction work. This includes, among other things, obtaining the necessary permits from cities, municipalities or road construction authorities for the opening and use of streets, sidewalks or other traffic areas.
In order for this process to run smoothly and as quickly as possible, the interaction between the municipality and the telecommunications company must work well. This is an important building block for this Broadband portal It offers simple and digitalized processes and acts as a hinge between the municipality and the telecommunications companies. Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate were pioneers in using the portal, but eleven federal states have now signed a contract for subsequent use. The tool has also received positive feedback in practice. But in order to maximize the potential of the portal for the whole of Germany, it is necessary that many more municipalities – ideally all of them – register.
Meaning and purpose of the broadband portal
The broadband portal is a digital platform that makes the application and approval of consent for laying lines in broadband expansion efficient, compliant with the Online Access Act (OZG) and legally secure in accordance with the Telecommunications Act. This online tool significantly simplifies the approval process and accelerates broadband expansion in Germany.
What is particularly important for the acceptance of the portal is that both municipalities and telecommunications companies use it. This means everyone involved can work together efficiently and the administration can run smoothly. By centrally managing applications, cities and municipalities also gain a better overview of ongoing projects. On the other hand, through standardization, the expanding company knows exactly what information is needed to prevent unnecessary delays in application processing.
Municipal contacts can contact one Broadband portal training take part, which is offered by the Federal Gigabit Office.
Telekom connection to the broadband portal ensures digital workflow
In order to simplify this process, Deutsche Telekom was the first and so far only telecommunications company to connect its system to the interface to the broadband portal in order to enable a smooth process between the broadband portal on the municipal side and the Telekom systems on the other side. This means that the entire path safety workflow is digitized and standardized. The interface enables Telekom to submit applications to municipalities directly online, track the processing status and receive notifications more quickly.
The connection to the public interface enables both sides – municipalities and telecommunications companies – to remain in their usual system and still manage all necessary documents and workflows digitally. For the first time, it offers digitized, standardized, automated and audit-proof path protection applications nationwide. There is also the option of centrally accessing all contacts with authorities to make arrangements easier. This means that approval processes are much leaner and faster. This in turn contributes to the faster pace of fiber optic expansion in Germany.
A portal for fiber optic expansion – and everyone benefits
Both telecommunications companies and municipalities benefit from standardization, resource conservation, greater transparency and the increase in efficiency achieved. The portal therefore has the potential to motivate even more actors involved to work together and make a significant contribution to the creation of a sustainable digital infrastructure network. It is now up to the municipalities themselves to accelerate the fiber optic expansion – because the more people are involved in the broadband portal, the greater the leverage for the expansion and thus for the German economy and society.
