Deutsche Glasfaser

What Deutsche Glasfaser does

Deutsche Glasfaser is a German FTTH (Fiber-to-the-Home) broadband operator that deploys and operates pure fiber infrastructure exclusively to residential, business, and municipal customers in rural and suburban areas historically underserved by incumbent telecom providers. The company has passed approximately 2.8 million homes across 1,750+ municipalities and serves more than 1.6 million contracted customers, achieving roughly 40% penetration in passed homes. Its core technology is a pure GPON/XGS-PON fiber architecture supporting gigabit-class services (100 Mbps to 1 Gbps downstream, up to 500 Mbps upstream) delivered directly to customer premises without copper or coaxial segments, operated as an open-access network (anbieteroffen) enabling wholesale partners such as Vodafone and 1&1 to resell services over the same physical layer.

Deutsche Glasfaser monetizes through four tiered residential subscriptions (DG basic 100, DG classic 300, DG premium 500, DG giga 1000 priced €24.99-€89.99/month), long-term wholesale agreements with major telecom resellers, modular add-ons (waipu.tv TV, F-Secure security, DG WLAN Plus router bundles, mobile/landline flatrates), and dedicated B2B services via the DG Business sub-brand targeting SMEs, enterprises, housing developers, and municipalities. Go-to-market combines direct online and telephone sales, field demand-bundling campaigns (Nachfragebündelung) that condition municipal builds on minimum pre-registration thresholds, certified specialty retailers (Fachhändler), a Champions referral/affiliate program, and direct enterprise sales. Deployment relies on a network of 28+ construction partners, including a strategic alliance with Geodesia (Altice Europe) for at least one million fiber connections by 2025.

The company is controlled by private equity investors EQT (51%) and OMERS (49%), who acquired it from KKR in 2020 for approximately €2.8 billion and have cumulatively invested nearly €5 billion as part of a planned >€11 billion private-sector investment program targeting 6 million long-term FTTH connections. The business carries gross debt exceeding €7 billion, which triggered a €1.7 billion refinancing package agreed in April 2026 (approximately €850 million preferred equity and €400 million super-senior debt), alongside a 200-250 position workforce reduction announced in October 2025 and a new COO (Gerhard Mack, formerly of Vodafone, Kabel Deutschland, and Alcatel) appointed in April 2026 to lead a transition from construction-focused build-out to high-performance broadband operations.

Name

Deutsche Glasfaser

Legal name

Deutsche Glasfaser Holding GmbH

Website

https://deutsche-glasfaser.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Deutsche Glasfaser is a German FTTH broadband operator deploying pure fiber infrastructure to underserved rural and suburban areas. It serves over 1.6 million contracted customers across 1,750+ municipalities via retail subscriptions, wholesale agreements with Vodafone and 1&1, and B2B services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fiber Optic Broadband Services

NAICS

Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111)

SIC

Computer Communications Equipment (3576)

akta.pro primary industry

Neutral-Host Fiber & Shared Access Network Operators (HDAIACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fiber ISPs (FTTH/FTTP Retail Providers) (HDAIADAE)

Keywords

• Fiber optic broadband
• FTTH infrastructure
• Wholesale network access
• Fiber internet services
• Open access network

Headquarters

HQ city

Borken

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Internet Subscription Services: Monthly subscription fees from residential and business customers for high-speed fiber internet access. Tariffs range from entry-level 100 Mbps to premium 1 Gbps connections, with additional revenue from phone (landline and mobile flatrates) and TV services (waipu.tv). Subscription model provides predictable recurring revenue with multi-year contract terms typically of 24 months.
2. Wholesale Network Access: Wholesale access fees from other telecom operators (Vodafone, 1&1) who resell services over Deutsche Glasfaser's fiber network. Long-term wholesale agreements (10+ years) provide additional recurring revenue stream and support network utilization.
3. Connection/Activation Fees: One-time connection fees for new fiber installations. During demand-bundling campaigns, construction costs (typically €1,500+) are waived to incentivize sign-ups.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Deutsche Glasfaser builds and operates a pure Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) broadband network delivering internet, landline, and mobile telephony services to residential and business customers across rural and suburban Germany. The company sells subscription-based fiber internet tariffs ranging from 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps, bundled with phone and TV services, and operates an open-access network that allows wholesale partners such as Vodafone and 1&1 to resell connectivity over its infrastructure.

Product overview

Deutsche Glasfaser offers a unified FTTH (Fiber-to-the-Home) product portfolio centered on four residential internet tiers (DG basic 100, DG classic 300, DG premium 500, and DG giga 1000) providing download speeds from 100 Mbps to 1,000 Mbps. All plans include landline flatrate and premium tiers add mobile flatrate. The portfolio extends through TV streaming via waipu.tv partnership, router equipment (DG WLAN Plus Bundle), security services (Sicherheitspaket powered by F-Secure), and customer-facing apps (MeinDG, DG Heimnetz) plus an online Kundenportal. Business services are delivered through the DG Business sub-brand targeting enterprises, municipalities, and public institutions. The architecture follows a base connectivity model with modular add-ons for enhanced services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Inexio: Subsidiary brand operating under Deutsche Glasfaser group providing FTTH broadband services

Products and services

• DG basic 100 Entry-level FTTH fiber optic internet plan providing download speeds up to 100 Mbps with bundled internet flatrate, landline flatrate, and mobile flatrate for residential customers.
• DG classic 300 Mid-tier FTTH fiber optic internet plan offering download speeds up to 300 Mbps with internet flatrate for households requiring higher bandwidth.
• DG premium 500 Premium FTTH fiber optic internet plan delivering download speeds up to 500 Mbps with full internet flatrate and bundled services for residential customers.
• DG giga 1000 Flagship FTTH fiber optic internet plan providing gigabit speeds up to 1,000 Mbps download and 500 Mbps upload, including internet and landline flatrates, mobile flatrate, and tariff change guarantee.
• DG Business Business and enterprise fiber optic services providing dedicated internet connections and communication solutions for companies, municipalities, and public institutions.
• waipu.tv Television streaming service partnership enabling customers to watch live TV and on-demand content across multiple devices in HD quality without requiring a separate cable connection.
• FTTH Wholesale Network Access Open-access (anbieteroffene) wholesale fiber network access sold to other telecom operators including Vodafone and 1&1 under long-term (10+ year) wholesale agreements.

Quantifiable outcome

• ~2.8 million FTTH homes passed
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core and major.

• waipu.tv (Exaring AG)strategicTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2022Long-term partnership with Exaring AG for waipu.tv streaming television service. Partnership extended in March 2026 for continued provision of TV services over Deutsche Glasfaser network.
• Geodesia (Altice Europe)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 November 2021Strategic partnership for planning, deployment, and activation of at least 1 million fiber optic connections by 2025. Geodesia, part of Altice Europe, brings 20 years of FTTH construction expertise. Partnership marked Altice/Geodesia's entry into German market, representing the largest of Deutsche Glasfaser's 28 construction partner relationships.
• 1&1majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLong-term wholesale cooperation agreement between 1&1 and Deutsche Glasfaser ensuring greater variety of fiber optic products, particularly in rural and suburban areas. 1&1 resells services over Deutsche Glasfaser's FTTH network.
• VodafonemajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor10+ year wholesale FTTH deal giving Vodafone nationwide access to Deutsche Glasfaser's fiber network. Vodafone resells fiber services to its customers using Deutsche Glasfaser's infrastructure.

Scale indicators22 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• NetCologne: Regional FTTH/Broadband operator serving the Cologne/Bonn region of North Rhine-Westphalia. Comparable product offering (FTTH broadband, voice, TV) and similar business model, but geographically bounded to the Cologne metropolitan area rather than nationwide.
• wilhelm.tel: Municipal fiber operator serving the Hamburg metropolitan area and northern Germany, offering FTTH broadband to residential and business customers. Comparable subscription-based FTTH business model, though geographically concentrated versus Deutsche Glasfaser's nationwide rural footprint.
• M-net Telekommunikations: Regional fiber operator in Bavaria, offering FTTH/B broadband to residential and business customers across Munich and surrounding areas. Similar product portfolio and subscription model to Deutsche Glasfaser, with comparable reliance on regional municipal partnerships.
• EWE TEL: Telecommunications arm of EWE AG, providing FTTH and broadband services across northern Germany (Lower Saxony, Bremen, Brandenburg). Operates in overlapping rural/suburban markets with Deutsche Glasfaser and is a co-investor in the Westconnect FTTH joint venture.

Broad incumbents

• Deutsche Telekom: Germany's largest integrated telecom incumbent and the dominant FTTH builder via its GlasfaserPlus JV with IFM. Deutsche Glasfaser competes head-to-head with Telekom for rural FTTH households and overlapping wholesale relationships, while Telekom's incumbent scale and brand make it Deutsche Glasfaser's most consequential competitor.

Emerging players

• Deutsche GigaNetz: Emerging German fiber altnet focused on FTTH rollouts in underserved regions, often competing head-to-head with Deutsche Glasfaser for municipal projects. Backed by private equity and pursuing a comparable open-access FTTH model in similar German geographies.
• Unsere Grüne Glasfaser (UGG): Joint FTTH venture backed by Allianz and Telefónica Deutschland, focused on deploying fiber in underserved German regions. Direct strategic overlap with Deutsche Glasfaser's rural open-access FTTH playbook, though typically smaller scale per project.

Direct peers

• 1&1 Versatel: Wholesale customer of Deutsche Glasfaser via long-term FTTH cooperation agreement, while also operating its own fiber network for business and residential customers. Operates in similar residential broadband and wholesale fiber markets, particularly in rural and suburban Germany.
• Vodafone Germany: Major German broadband provider with its own hybrid fiber-cable (DOCSIS) and FTTH footprint, and a 10+ year wholesale customer of Deutsche Glasfaser. Direct overlap in residential broadband; Vodafone's own gigabit ambitions make it both partner and competitor on Deutsche Glasfaser's network.
• Glasfaser Plus: FTTH joint venture between Deutsche Telekom and IFM Investors, deploying up to 4 million FTTH connections in Germany by 2030. Directly competes with Deutsche Glasfaser for municipal build rights and represents one of the largest competitive threats in the German FTTH market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/deutsche_glasfaser
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/DeutscheGlasfaser
• Facebookfacebook.com/deutscheglasfaser
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/deutsche-glasfaser
• Instagraminstagram.com/deutsche_glasfaser

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Deutsche Glasfaser