Canadian pension fund Omers and private equity group EQT have jointly offered another €5 billion – they are already investors in the altnet
The Canadian pension fund Omers and private equity group EQT offered to put an additional €5 billion into the German altnet firm Deutsche Glasfaser. The Financial Times reports [subscription needed] that the broadband provider is heavily indebted and in danger of being seized by lenders.
The two have already invested €4 billion in Glasfaser., which has debts of more than €7 billion gross debt. They had put forward a refinancing deal last December but creditors rejected it. Unnamed sources suggest the new deal could be sealed this week. It is preferred to the previous offer as it shifts more debt to the ‘holding company’ some of the same sources added.
Germany still playing catch-up
Germany, along with the other major economies such as the UK and Italy (but not France) was a laggard in the fibre broadband stakes, but has accelerated the roll-out in the last few years. Although full FTTH/B coverage is still behind some EU counterparts, Gigabit speed connectivity is available to 77–79% of households using various technologies such as copper, cable and fixed wireless access for the final link into customers’ premises.
The big three
Glasfaser was set up in 2011 and is Germany’s second-largest fibre broadband provider, serving more than 2.6 million homes. Its focus is rural and suburban areas, but has almost halved its target of premises passed by 2032 from 6 million to 3.2 million having failed to attract enough customers – retail and wholesale.
Deutsche Telekom is the largest provider of fibre broadband in Germany, both in terms of network infrastructure and active customers, having passed more than 12 million households and businesses. In January it announced it has exceeded coverage of more than half of Germany’s permises and says that by 2027, it aims to pass 17.5 million homes.
Vodafone Deutschland claims to have the largest full fibre netork in Germany and offers fibre broadband to more than 11 million households through a combination of its own infrastructure, a joint venture called OXG Glasfaser, and through wholesale partnerships with Deutsche Telekom and Deutsche Glasfaser. OXG was launched by Vodafone and Altice in 2023.
