Insolvency hits civil engineers: Fiber optic expansion in the Main-Kinzig district is shaky!

Insolvency hits civil engineers: Fiber optic expansion in the Main-Kinzig district is shaky!

In Bad Soden-Salmünster, the preliminary insolvency of the civil engineering company Kurtleitungstiefbau is causing a stir. The company that is currently entrusted with fiber optic expansion in the Main-Kinzig district recently filed for bankruptcy. This situation poses new challenges for the progress of the project, which aims to provide nationwide fiber optic coverage by 2027. However, Broadband Main-Kinzig GmbH gives the all-clear: There will be no construction stop, the work should continue, reports Fulda newspaper.

The municipality is pursuing the goal of completing the construction phases that have begun. In Jossgrund, where the company is active, a conversation with the insolvency administrator is now expected to clarify the continuation of the work. The employees of the insolvent company can initially count on support from the Federal Employment Agency, which guarantees their wages for three months.

Criticism of the construction work

Mayor Dominik Brasch, non-party, expresses clear criticism of the poor construction work and the associated delays in the Hausen district. He notes that damage to public spaces has been identified in the past and completion deadlines have not been met. The company was terminated without notice by Meridiam Glasfaser Deutschland GmbH, which further complicated the situation.

Due to legal requirements, the city itself was unable to actively intervene in the selection of the commissioned companies. In order to ensure progress, a successor company from East Hesse is now commissioned to continue the civil engineering work. The magistrate will shortly advise on necessary construction sites in Salmünster, so that the restart of construction work is already being planned.

Fiber optic expansion in Germany

Fiber optic expansion is not just an issue in Bad Soden-Salmünster, but is important throughout Germany. The expansion rate is between 40 and 43 percent, with Germany still lagging behind the EU average. According to information from fiberglass-internet.info Germany even occupies last place among the EU countries in the FTTH Council Ranking 2024. Still, the nation is catching up internationally, with coverage increasing from 6.3 percent at the end of 2021 to 40 percent at the end of 2023.

Deutsche Telekom plans to build a complete fiber optic network by 2030 to ensure Germany's competitiveness. Despite the positive outlook, consumer interest in high-speed Internet remains limited. The reason for this is often a lack of added value and higher costs, which prevent many households from having a broadband connection.

In this mixed landscape of challenges and positive developments, it remains to be seen how the situation in Bad Soden-Salmünster and beyond will develop. One thing is certain: digitalization is currently a hot topic for many regions in Germany.