Strengthening Offenbach as a digital location through fiber optic expansion

Everyone is talking about FTTH (Fiber to the Home), fiber optic connections to the home. At the start of the expansion, 21,000 households in Offenbach am Main in the Bieberer Berg, Carl-Ulrich-Siedlung, Lauterborn, Lindenfeld-Buchhügel and Senefelderquartier districts will be the first to have the chance to be part of it. At the symbolic ground-breaking ceremony in the Buchhügel district, Lord Mayor Dr. Felix Schwenke and Fuat Dalar from Deutsche Telekom AG signed a joint declaration of intent for fiber optic expansion in Offenbach. It is the city's strategic goal to gradually connect both households and commercial areas to the fiber optic network with partners. As a result of the city joining the gigabit region, Telekom will expand the network in Offenbach am Main in cooperation with the city and offer connections of up to 1 gigabit per second. However, residents must take action in good time to ensure that the expansion does not bypass their house or apartment.

Lord Mayor Dr. Felix Schwenke emphasizes the importance of fast and stable internet connections: "Data is an important economic factor and data simplifies people's everyday lives. We are already achieving very high bandwidths and speeds in Offenbach today." Offenbach also benefits from its proximity to the world's largest Internet data hub in Frankfurt. However, the Lord Mayor also knows: "For the Internet of tomorrow, the fiber optic connection is often still missing on the last meter to the house connection. This problem is now to be solved. Step by step, we will develop the individual areas of the city and get as close as possible to the 100 percent mark."

City Treasurer Martin Wilhelm, who attended the ground-breaking ceremony along with Paul-Gerhard Weiß, Head of Building and Planning, emphasized: "The coronavirus pandemic has shown us all just how important the internet has become. The world of work is largely played out in the home office, but other system-relevant services, such as those of the citizens' office, also require a reliable internet connection. A fiber optic connection also increases the value of your own property."

In order to also digitally strengthen the business location, the city of Offenbach joined the gigabit region of the FrankfurtRhineMain Regional Association under Mayor Schwenke back in 2019. As a city councillor on the steering committee of the gigabit region, Eva Dude played a key role in the process for the city: "Being connected to the super-fast internet of tomorrow is a tough locational advantage for our companies and households in the competition between regions." Mayor Schwenke adds: "We are therefore working on several levels to provide all areas in our city with the best possible service. The city as a whole benefits from a strong economy, for example in terms of income from business taxes through jobs."

Paul-Gerhard Weiß, Head of Building and Planning, also sees advantages for smaller companies in the new cooperation with Telekom: "With the start of the fiber optic expansion, we are making Offenbach's infrastructure fit for fast data processing. This will benefit not only households but also businesses that are not centrally located in the industrial estates. They also need the fast fibre-optic network in order to be prepared for the growing demands of digitalization in the future."

By connecting the last few meters to the house, Telekom is closing existing gaps in the city districts: "With the FTTH expansion, the fiber optic cable no longer ends in the distribution box at the roadside, but must be pulled into the building," explains Oliver Knöll, Regional Manager at Telekom. "To do this, we need the permission of the respective owners. After all, we are entering private property. Tenants can also provide the impetus if they get in touch with us."

The full press release can be downloaded from the link below.