Jena gets high-speed Internet

Telekom's comprehensive fiber optic expansion project in the city of Jena began with the symbolic breaking of the excavator on May 31, 2022.

After the Stadtwerke Jena Group, as a partner to the housing industry, has already been connecting the buildings of several Jena housing companies with fiber optics for around 16,000 households since 2016, the connections planned by Telekom will make Jena the first fully expanded major city in Thuringia for a further 45,000 households.

Mayor and Department Head for Urban Development Christian Gerlitz: "This expansion decision for an area-wide fiber-optic infrastructure in Jena was made possible by intensive cooperation between the city of Jena, the municipal utilities, the municipal service and Telekom. I am not only pleased that we will be one of the first major cities in Germany with almost complete fiber-optic coverage of all households and business locations with a build-out target of 2026, but above all that Jena's rural districts will not be forgotten in the build-out."

Benjamin Koppe, Head of the Department of Finance and Digitization: "Fiber optic expansion plays a central role in securing and expanding Jena as a high-tech location. This reliable and high-performance high-speed technology and the development of the so-called "last mile" will create important conditions that will make Jena more attractive as a business and science location and also as a place for people to work and live. For us, the project is an important driver of digital transformation and services of general interest on the way to a Smart City Jena."

Everyone is talking about FTTH (Fiber to the Home), fiber-optic connections right into the home. Thanks to the expansion by Telekom and the Stadtwerke Jena Group, more than 60,000 Jena households will be able to use connections with up to one gigabit per second in the future. However, to ensure that Telekom's expansion does not bypass the house or apartment, residents* must take action in good time.

"With FTTH expansion, the fiber optic cable no longer ends in the distribution box at the side of the road, but has to be pulled into the building," explains Roman Gebhardt, Telekom's regional manager. "To do this, we need the permission of the respective owners. After all, we are trespassing on private property. Tenants can also provide the impetus by contacting us. We're building with the lights on. Only a few months pass between development announcements, construction and bookability."

Owners in the expansion area can now secure a fiber-optic connection for their property. They can do so online at www.telekom.de/glasfaser or by calling 0800 22 66 100. Even those who rent can book a fiber-optic connection now. Deutsche Telekom will then contact the landlords and clarify how the fiber optic cable will get into the house.

The rule here is: It pays to be early! Only within the scope of the expansion program are there no costs for commissioning the fiber optic house connection prior to the construction work.

No registration is required for buildings in the housing sector that are connected to the fiber optic network by the Stadtwerke Jena Group. Gigabit Internet is already available there via a coax fiber-optic hybrid network. But here, too, the full fiber-optic expansion is being driven forward to enable even higher transmission rates and improved network stability in the future.

In addition to the housing industry, commercial customers are also supplied by the municipal utility. "In the future, too, our customers can rely on high service quality with short response times and our very good technical expertise," explains Stephan Golembiewski, Head of Network Management, at Stadtwerke Jena Netze GmbH. More information about Stadtwerke Jena's fiber-optic offerings is available at www.stadtwerke-jena-netze.de/kunden/netzanschluss/informationsnetze.

A property with fast Internet is ideally equipped for the future. It is easier to rent or sell. In addition, the fiber optic connection offers all the possibilities for digital applications: For example, home office connection, smart home, IP-TV, streaming services, online gaming or even telemedicine.