Vodafone and Vonovia sign a deal for 120,000 residential units.
Vodafone has secured a deal to provide fiber-optic infrastructure for one of Germany's biggest housing companies, Vonovia, starting from July 2024. This means that 120,000 additional housing units under Vonovia will be connected to Vodafone's fiber network.
This comes after past tension between the two companies in the competitive telecoms market. Back in 2013, when UnityMedia, now part of Vodafone, lost a major contract with Deutsche Annington (now Vonovia) to Deutsche Telekom. At the time, it was believed that Telekom would lay fiber-optic cables directly into apartments, but they mostly reverted to using conventional copper cables.
Now, tenants living in these Vonovia housing units will be able to access the internet through Vodafone's cable network and receive TV signals through a cable outlet provided by Vodafone.
Navigating a challenging industry
This agreement marks a significant win for Vodafone in a tough market environment. As of July, it will no longer be allowed for landlords to include TV costs as additional expenses nor offer automatic TV connections. Instead, tenants must seek out alternatives or join group orders. This new deal will streamline that process.
In the conversion process, tenants can enter into a direct contract with Vodafone if they choose to receive TV through the cable network. Vonovia is informing those affected by the change about the switch date and new options. However, tenants still have the option of keeping their slower DSL connection and using Magenta TV from Deutsche Telekom or online streaming services such as Zattoo and Waipu.
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- Despite past tensions with Vonovia in the German telecommunications market, Vodafone managed to secure a deal to provide fiber-optic infrastructure for the housing company, beginning in July 2024.
- German Telekom had previously lost a contract with Germany's Deutsche Annington (now Vonovia) to provide fiber-optic cables in apartments, opting instead for conventional copper cables.
- Through this agreement, tenants living in 120,000 Vonovia housing units will have access to the internet through Vodafone's cable network and TV signals via a cable outlet provided by Vodafone.
- This new partnership is particularly significant for Vodafone in the challenging German telecoms market, with landlords no longer allowed to include TV costs as additional expenses and tenants needing to seek alternative options for TV services.
- Tenants under Vonovia can now choose to enter into a direct contract with Vodafone for their TV services, as Vonovia informs affected tenants about the switch date and new options, including keeping their slower DSL connection or using alternative services like Magenta TV from Deutsche Telekom or online streaming platforms such as Zattoo and Waipu.
Source: www.stern.de
