Glasfaser Ruhr Gmbh & Co.kg

What Glasfaser Ruhr Gmbh & Co.kg does

Glasfaser Ruhr GmbH & Co. KG is a regional fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) telecommunications operator headquartered in Bochum, Germany, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Stadtwerke Bochum municipal utility group. Founded in 1996, the company operates an open-access fiber network spanning several hundred kilometers across the Ruhr region, delivering dedicated fiber connections directly into individual apartments and homes. Its infrastructure supports four residential speed tiers (150, 300, 600, and 1,000 Mbit/s download) bundled with flat-rate German landline telephony, plus enterprise products including dedicated business connections, multi-site networking (Standortvernetzung), high-availability data center services in Bochum and Herne, and the Ruhr-CIX internet exchange point.

The company's technology stack centers on FTTH optical-fiber transmission with 24/7 network monitoring, AI-vendor-supplied DDoS protection via Link11 (handling attacks up to 1.4 Tbps), and integration with FRITZ!Box Wi-Fi 6/7 customer-premises equipment. Revenue is generated primarily through 24-month subscription contracts with promotional pricing in the first six months (€17.95/month, stepping up to €44.95-€69.95/month depending on speed tier), optional router rental (€6.95-€8.95/month), one-time activation fees (€59.95), and managed-services contracts with business customers and housing associations. Distribution combines self-service via the company's webshop, inside sales for residential and SMB inquiries, dedicated field sales for enterprise customers, and channel partnerships—most notably the Deutsche Telekom cooperation extending reach to up to 60,000 additional Bochum households.

Glasfaser Ruhr serves residential subscribers, self-employed and SMB customers (Easy Business tier), larger enterprise clients (Professionals & Mittelstand), municipal housing companies (VBW Bauen und Wohnen, Bochumer Wohnstätten, GWV), and public-sector clients including schools via the "Schulen ans Netz" program. Its institutional position is reinforced by cooperation with Deutsche Telekom, €40 million of additional debt financing from Helaba Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen secured in January 2026, designation by the German Federal Digital Ministry as a national best-practice example for cooperative fiber expansion, and CEO Patrick Helmes's presidency of BUGLAS, the German federal fiber industry association representing over 170 member companies.

Name

Glasfaser Ruhr Gmbh & Co.kg

Legal name

GLASFASER RUHR GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://glasfaser-ruhr.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Glasfaser Ruhr is a Bochum-based fiber-to-the-home telecom operator serving residential, SMB, and enterprise customers across the Ruhr region of Germany. A subsidiary of municipal utility Stadtwerke Bochum, it delivers FTTH internet, telephony, data center, and open-access wholesale services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Telecommunications Services

NAICS

Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111), Wired and Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (51711), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)

SIC

Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813), Computer Communications Equipment (3576)

akta.pro primary industry

Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) Operators (HDAIACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fiber ISPs (FTTH/FTTP Retail Providers) (HDAIADAE), Neutral-Host Fiber & Shared Access Network Operators (HDAIACAJ)

Keywords

• Fiber optic internet
• Telecommunications services
• FTTH infrastructure
• Data center hosting
• Wholesale network access

Headquarters

HQ city

Bochum

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Internet & Phone Subscription Services: Monthly subscription fees for fiber internet and VoIP phone services. Tariffs range from 150 Mbit/s to 1,000 Mbit/s download speeds with corresponding pricing tiers. Phone flat to German fixed lines included.
2. Router Rental/Monitoring Services: Optional router rental for premium hardware including FRITZ!Box devices. Monthly fees of €6.95-€8.95 depending on model. Hardware remains company property.
3. Activation and Connection Fees: One-time activation fees for new connections. €59.95 activation fee mentioned for standard connections. Installation services for in-building cabling.
4. Business Data Center Services: Customized IT solutions for business customers including data center services, location networking, and dedicated connections for enterprises.
5. Property Connection Services: Fiber connection services for real estate properties. Free connection service for property owners who grant permission for building infrastructure deployment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Glasfaser Ruhr operates and markets Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) broadband connectivity in the Bochum and Ruhr region, delivering residential internet and VoIP telephony subscriptions across 150-1,000 Mbit/s speed tiers, alongside enterprise services including business internet, data center colocation in Bochum and Herne, multi-site networking (Standortvernetzung) and the Ruhr-CIX internet exchange point. The company also serves housing industry partners by deploying free property fiber connections under usage agreements, while operating an open-access wholesale network and 24/7-monitored infrastructure.

Product overview

Glasfaser Ruhr is a telecommunications provider operating a fiber optic network in Bochum and the Ruhr region. The company offers a unified product portfolio centered on fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) internet connectivity for residential and business customers. For private customers, the core offering is the Internet & Fon service across four speed tiers (150, 300, 600, and 1,000 Mbit/s) with optional landline phone flat and router hardware rental (FRITZ!Box). The Easy Business product serves self-employed and small business customers, while dedicated enterprise solutions cover professionals and mid-market companies with high-availability connectivity. Infrastructure services include property fiber connections (Glasfaser-Anschluss), data center operations in Bochum and Herne, site-to-site networking, and the Ruhr-CIX internet exchange. All offerings are delivered over the company's owned fiber network, which is monitored 24/7 and operated as an open-access infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Internet & Fon

Quantifiable outcome

• 60,000+ apartments connected within first 3 years of Telekom cooperation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Deutsche TelekomflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpanded cooperation for joint fiber expansion in Bochum. Telekom products now available to ~30,000 additional households. Partnership covers up to 60,000 additional households benefiting from cooperation. ~138,000 total households targeted for expansion. Both companies working together on construction and network sharing.
• VBW Bauen und WohnencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner30-year telecommunications partnership celebrating three decades of collaboration. VBW is one of the oldest and most important housing company partners in Bochum. Partnership exemplifies long-term cooperation in fiber infrastructure for residential properties.
• Bochumer WohnstättencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHousing company partnership for fiber connection to residential properties. Cooperation in expanding fiber network to housing stock managed by Bochumer Wohnstätten.
• GWV (Gemeinnützige Wohnungsgesellschaft)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNon-profit housing company partnership for fiber infrastructure deployment to residential buildings.
• Link11coreTechnology or IntegrationAI-based DDoS protection provider. Link11 provides automated cyber attack defense for GLASFASER RUHR's fiber network infrastructure, protecting against attacks up to 1.4 Terabit per second. Link11 is BSI-certified and ISO-27001 compliant.
• BUGLAS (Bundesverband Glasfaseranschluss)coreOthersCEO Patrick Helmes serves as President of BUGLAS, the German Fiber Association representing over 170 member companies. GLASFASER RUHR actively participates in industry advocacy for fiber-to-the-home expansion in Germany.
• Stadtwerke Bochum GruppeflagshipOthersGLASFASER RUHR is a subsidiary of Stadtwerke Bochum (municipal utility). This parent relationship provides strategic backing, capital access, and integration with other municipal services.
• More than words (Dortmunder Agentur)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCreative agency partnership for artistic design of fiber distribution stations (Points of Presence/PoPs). Partnership transforms technical infrastructure into public art installations in the Ruhr region.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Stadtwerke Münster (muenster.com / Stadtwerke-Netz): Municipal utility operating fiber infrastructure in Münster, with similar regional utility-backbone structure to Stadtwerke Bochum. Thematically comparable as another German municipal-utility fiber provider, though smaller and more limited in commercial brand presence.

Direct peers

• Deutsche Glasfaser: Major German FTTH challenger operating across multiple regions with a focus on rural and suburban fiber rollout. Directly comparable as a dedicated FTTH retail provider, though larger in geographic scope and purely private equity-backed rather than municipal-owned.
• M-Net Telekommunikations: Bavarian regional fiber operator offering FTTH internet, telephony, and business services across Munich and surrounding areas. Backed by municipal utilities including Stadtwerke München. Directly comparable in product mix, regional scope, and municipal utility ownership model.
• NetCologne: Regional German fiber and telecommunications provider serving the Cologne/Bonn area, also operating as a subsidiary of a municipal utility (GEW Köln). Highly comparable to Glasfaser Ruhr in product offering (FTTH internet, telephony, business services), municipal-backed ownership structure, and regional geographic focus.
• EWE TEL: Telecommunications arm of EWE AG (a municipal utility consortium) providing FTTH, broadband, and telephony across northern Germany. Comparable to Glasfaser Ruhr in being a regional, utility-backed fiber operator offering similar residential and business product portfolios.

Regional players

• Westconnect / Westnetz (E.ON): Regional fiber operator tied to E.ON group building and operating FTTH networks in North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, and Rhineland-Palatinate. Adjacent geographic footprint to the Ruhr area, with comparable municipal/utility-backed structure and product offering.

Broad incumbents

• Deutsche Telekom: Germany's largest telecommunications incumbent and Glasfaser Ruhr's primary cooperation partner. Operates nationwide FTTH and broader telecom services; competes for the same end customers in Bochum while collaborating on infrastructure rollout.
• Vodafone Deutschland: One of Germany's largest broadband and telecommunications providers operating cable, fiber, and mobile networks nationwide. Directly competes with Glasfaser Ruhr for residential and business broadband customers in Bochum and the Ruhr area.

Emerging players

• 1&1 (United Internet): Major German ISP and emerging fiber network operator using the Telefónica wholesale bitstream plus its own FTTH build. Competes with Glasfaser Ruhr at the retail layer in Bochum, and represents a growing national fiber threat.
• PYUR (Tele Columbus): German cable and fiber broadband provider serving regional markets including parts of NRW. Competes at the retail ISP layer in overlapping territories and uses similar hybrid fiber-coax/FTTH architectures for residential broadband delivery.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Glasfaser Ruhr Gmbh & Co.kg