25 Juni Conference of Minister-Presidents: Modernisation Must Now Deliver Faster Network Roll-out
The modernisation agenda sends the right signals – binding deadlines, effective deemed approvals and digital processes for fibre and 5G deployment is the priority
Berlin, 25 June 2026. Germany wants to become more digital – and that means the state must enable the roll-out of digital networks more quickly. The deployment of fibre broadband and nationwide 5G coverage continues to be hampered by lengthy approval processes, inconsistent procedures and fragmented federal implementation. The Federal Modernisation Agenda, which is being discussed today by the Conference of Minister-Presidents, must now deliver a faster, more streamlined roll-out of digital infrastructure through binding measures.
„The industry has been waiting for years for promises to accelerate deployment to be translated into tangible action,“ said VATM Managing Director Dr Frederic Ufer. The 2023 Federal-State Pact on Accelerating Planning, Approval and Implementation Processes already included around 100 individual measures. At the end of 2025, this was followed by the Federal Modernisation Agenda, comprising more than 200 initiatives. „What matters now is not another list of measures, but implementation and measurable impact for businesses through faster approvals, digital processes, clear deadlines and fewer fragmented federal approaches. Only then will cutting red tape become the growth catalyst that Germany urgently needs.“
The managing director welcomed the fact that deemed approvals, notification procedures and digital public administration services are explicitly addressed. „These are precisely the levers that will deliver faster deployment,“ said Ufer. „Network roll-out will not be accelerated by colour-coded documents, but by binding deadlines, digital processes and decisions that make a difference on construction sites and at mobile network locations.“
From VATM’s perspective, it is particularly important that the proposed deemed approval provisions, together with deemed completeness of applications, are now implemented consistently and without further delay. Where public authorities fail to respond within clearly defined deadlines, legal certainty must be provided in suitable standard cases. This applies to procedures that affect the day-to-day deployment of digital infrastructure, including rights-of-way approvals, road and highway permissions, construction site permits, traffic management orders, site approvals and planning-related regulatory easements.
„The public sector must treat routine cases as routine cases,“ Ufer continued. „Where documentation is complete, or where the authority fails to request additional information within the specified timeframe, projects should not be left waiting for weeks. This applies equally to fibre routes and mobile network sites. Deemed approvals must be more than a policy proposal – they must work in practice for day-to-day network deployment.“
VATM also welcomed the inclusion, within the 2026 Telecommunications Act Amendment, of provisions to replace certain approval requirements with notification procedures in the telecommunications sector. This is an important and necessary step. However, notification procedures must not evolve into approval processes under a different name through additional evidence requirements, inconsistent implementation across the federal states or informal requests for further information. Network operators need clear, digital procedures, consistent national requirements and binding deadlines for both fixed and mobile network deployment.
The overriding public interest already established in law for the deployment of fibre broadband and mobile networks must also be applied consistently in administrative practice. „Guidance documents, FAQs and stakeholder dialogue formats, such as those presented today, are helpful,“ said Ufer. „However, they cannot replace concrete decision-making by local authorities. The overriding public interest in telecommunications infrastructure must also be reflected in practical application.“
The association also sees further opportunities to accelerate deployment through improved use of cadastral, geospatial and infrastructure data. Better coordination and greater availability of land registry and geospatial data are welcome developments. However, faster data exchange between public authorities alone will not be sufficient. Companies deploying digital infrastructure also require standardised, digital and reliable access to these datasets in order to plan fibre routes, customer connections and mobile network sites more efficiently.
VATM calls on the federal and state governments to:
• Submit the planned legislation on deemed approvals and deemed completeness of applications before the end of 2026 and implement it without delay.
• Ensure that the transition from approval procedures to notification procedures in the telecommunications sector is simple, fully digital and implemented consistently across Germany for both fixed and mobile network projects.
• Further develop the Broadband Deployment Portal into a genuine end-to-end digital process aligned with the requirements of fibre broadband and 5G deployment.
• Ensure that the federal states and local authorities apply acceleration measures consistently. Federal implementation must not result in fragmented approaches across different jurisdictions.
• Make cadastral, geospatial and infrastructure data easier, faster and more standardised for companies deploying digital infrastructure.
„Germany does not lack an understanding of what is holding back digital network deployment. The bottlenecks are well known: too many authorities involved, too many divergent approaches, insufficient end-to-end digital processes and too little regulatory certainty,“ concluded Ufer. „Today’s Conference of Minister-Presidents should therefore send a clear signal: reducing bureaucracy must not end with progress reports. Faster network deployment will only be achieved through fewer administrative procedures, better data, genuinely digital processes and deadlines that deliver real results. Ultimately, this is the benchmark against which the Modernisation Agenda will be judged.“
