When Hans-Joachim Hildner wants to watch the concert recordings in the public media libraries, he looks at a rotating wheel. His internet connection is too weak to play the recording of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in New Jersey in 2009 or a performance by the Rolling Stones in 1999 without stuttering. “I live in the TV Stone Age,” sighs the pensioner from Stuttgart-Feuerbach.
Instead of the booked eight megabits per second, only one to three megabits flowed through the ancient copper cable – “and that’s in the middle of Stuttgart,” says Hildner. The only exception is times when only a few people in his apartment complex use the Internet – then he occasionally gets six megabits, says the 78-year-old.
Fiber optic expansion brings hope for Stuttgart households
Now there is hope: Hans-Joachim Hildner’s section of the street will be connected to the fiber optic network. As a rule, telecommunications providers only expand where it makes economic sense for them. But at the beginning of September, Telekom began the fiber optic expansion in Stuttgart, which is supported by the federal, state and city governments. Thanks to this funding program, even poorly served addresses like Hans-Joachim Hildner’s now have the chance of being connected.
Instead of joy, Hildner initially felt anger and skepticism about the new prospect. “Some pedlars are always coming and offering us fiber optic cables,” he says. How is he supposed to know whether they are reputable – and whether he will finally get what he pays for with a new contract? “I’ll shoo them away straight away and say that they should first provide enough transmission capacity.”
From the point of view of the Baden-Württemberg consumer advice center, the Feuerbacher is behaving correctly: “This is dubious,” says Oliver Buttler, an expert in consumer law in the telecommunications sector, about door-to-door sales. He recommends not letting peddlers into the house in the first place.
Confusing fiber optic offers are confusing
Hans-Joachim Hildner describes the situation overall as confusing. Telekom will be advertising fiber optics in his home from April – but can the former battery researcher also use the offer if he remains a 1&1 customer?
In Stuttgart, the companies Deutsche Telekom and OXG Glasfaser, a Vodafone subsidiary, are expanding the fiber optic network. However, the network is open to all providers, so you can choose independently between different companies, said the broadband coordinator for the city of Stuttgart, Christian Beck, upon request. In addition to Telekom, Vodafone, Telefónica (o2) and 1&1 also use Telekom’s fiber optic network. OXG is known to be used by Vodafone, 1&1 and the Swedish provider Bahnhof Nätverk.
Hans-Joachim Hildner has now received mail from his previous provider 1&1 and found out: He can also purchase fiber optics via 1&1, so he doesn’t have to switch to Telekom. The connection to the apartment is free, which is what ultimately convinced Hildner to switch to fiber optics. The 78-year-old should be able to use the technology from April 2026.
Will the jerking actually end? Hildner is still a bit skeptical, but the anticipation for the concerts in the media libraries now outweighs the fear. “I think it’s great what’s possible through the Internet – including the fact that I can quench my thirst for knowledge there, for example on Wikipedia,” he says, but adds: “At the same time, our huge hunger for energy contributes to climate change. I think about that too.”
For Hans-Joachim Hildner it is clear: Even with fast internet, he will mainly be out and about offline – for example with his cycling group in the vineyards.
