19 Dez For a future-oriented gigabit and digital policy – VATM policy paper regarding the 2025 Bundestag election
Berlin, 17th December 2024. In the upcoming legislative period, the comprehensive digitisation of Germany must be at the top of the political agenda. For years, the industry has been waiting for planning security for investments, streamlined approval processes and a reduction in bureaucracy. „The new federal government will not have four years to take the urgently needed steps to expand high-performance digital network infrastructures. It must get down to business quickly and consistently“, demands VATM managing director Dr Frederic Ufer with regard to the presentation of the association’s policy paper for the federal elections.
A high-performance Telco-infrastructure, comprehensive digitalisation of products and processes as well as the networking and use of data are the decisive prerequisites for the entire German economy to remain internationally competitive.
The Key aspects of the necessary realignment of digital and economic policy have been outlined by VATM in a detailed policy paper for the 2025 federal election.
Specifically, the association is calling for:
- Binding framework conditions for a successful copper-to-fibre optic migration.
- Reduction of bureaucracy as well as uniform and leaner approval processes, most importantly a legal acknowledgement of the „outstanding public interest“ of the Telco-network infrastructure in Germany.
- A funding regime that concentrates on the essentials, with a focus on closing the gap and self-financed expansion.
- Acceleration of mobile network expansion through ideal framework conditions, especially for the construction of new mobile phone masts and for a tight network of locations for antennae.
- Fair competition for a strong telecommunications market with no abuse of market power and the divestment of the state’s shares of Telekom.
„We highly appreciate that the great importance of digital administrations for the future gigabit society seems to be understood by politics, as the election manifestos of some parties show. The future federal government must prioritise and establish the path to digital identity as quickly as possible“, emphasises the managing director.
For the association, the key to getting Germany off to a successful start in terms of digital policy, is a central transformation and innovation ministry as a digital ministry, which, with comprehensive powers and resources, not only coordinates and manages digitisation in a narrow sense, but also the associated transformation of all sectors.
At the same time, the importance of a functioning competition in the telecommunications markets must come back into focus. „Therefore, a competitively oriented concept is needed in politics which provides security while offering good long-term perspectives for the economy and investments in Germany“, explains Ufer.
A sustainable concept 2030 for digital infrastructure will be presented by Prof. Achim Wambach, head of the renowned Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), together with VATM at the beginning of next year.
The detailed policy paper of the association for the 2025 federal election can be found here. Further information, on topics such as the sector’s and competitive situation, the concept of copper-to-glass migration and scientific studies, can be found on the VATM website:
