Tele Columbus and 1&1 combine networks as of 2023

The two telecommunications companies 1&1 and Tele Columbus have big things to announce. Both want to merge their networks and thus position themselves more broadly.

Tele Columbus customers soon with Internet from 1&1

Those who have a fixed network contract with the regional provider Tele Columbus may be able to receive Internet from the large provider 1&1 from 2023. Almost two million households would be affected. The background to this is that both companies want to merge their networks. As can be seen from a notification dated November 21, 2022, the changes are to take effect as early as April 2023. This will be the second time Tele Columbus has opened up its network to another provider. Already, some of the provider’s customers get their Internet from Telefonica.

• Also interesting: Fiber optic expansion: Tele Columbus buys pipe system under Berlin with 82 km length
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Being a discounter is becoming increasingly uncertain

Of course, one wonders what drives the parent company United Internet to cooperate with Tele Columbus. The reasons are quite simple. For example, the provider is only allowed to appear on the market as a discounter if it offers its services in a competing network. A well-known example is Tele Columbus as well as Telekom. In the mobile communications sector, on the other hand, the situation is different. Here, in the fall of this year, the Federal Network Agency determined that the existence of 1&1 as a discounter should end here with the year 2025.

The reason for this is that the provider, with its more than 11 million customers, was temporarily allowed to operate as a classic provider and discounter in 2019. The company secured the corresponding frequencies in an auction. Tele Columbus customers, who will soon be able to use 1&1’s Internet, will then belong to 1&1 Versatel. The company’s focus is clearly on corporate customers. The size of the fiber-optic network that 1&1 can boast shows just how strongly the provider has grown in recent years. The fiber-optic network, which is available in almost 300 cities, is said to be an impressive 50,000 km long.