Summary

With the aim of supplying around 1 million inhabitants in five districts in the northern part of Hesse (around 380.000 households and 52.000 tradespeople in 570 small villages) with fast Internet at speeds of at least 30 megabits per second, the districts joined forces to launch Europe's largest broadband expansion project and are implementing a viable business model in Breitband Nordhessen GmbH (BNG). The EAFRD is providing 20 million EUR funding for the project.

Results

By the end of 2017, 850 kilometres of the passive pipe system had been laid to connect more than 570 locations. The contractually agreed target of 650 km was thus exceeded by 40%.

In May 2018, more than 1 000 kilometres of the planned pipeline system, and thus more than half of the planned 2 000 km, had been built. Around 70% of the expansion target will be achieved by the end of 2018 and the laying of empty conduits and cables will be completed by the end of 2019.

At the end of 2017, 112 of the 570 planned locations were under construction and over 650 of the 1 400 distribution cabinets had been installed.