DIGITAL DEUTSCHLAND: The Effects of Telecommunications Reform on the Internet in Germany Julie A. Bennion April 2001 Master’s Thesis Advisor: Dr. Lee McKnight The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy Tufts University ABSTRACT This paper focuses on aspects of the German telecommunications landscape which affect the use of the Internet, and through this, Germany’s ability to reach its goal of leadership in the Information Society in Europe. Telecommunications are key to the transformation to an Internet Economy, affecting both the availability and quality of services. The first section deals with the German government’s ongoing reforms to open the communications market. We start with the process of liberalization, including changes in the telecommunications law, and the privatization of the national PTT monopoly, Deutsche Telekom, and its ISP subsidiary T-Online. We continue with a look at new competitive carriers for a variety of services, and include explorations of ISDN, DSL, and cable technologies as ways to bring broadband Internet access to more Germans. We will see how the introduction of competition into the German telecom market has affected telecommunications costs, including Internet access costs. Flat-rate Internet access pricing is of particular interest, and we will see if this pricing can encourage Internet use. Also discussed is the ability for the Internet economy to help alleviate unemployment, expectations for which are a major push behind German policy toward the Internet. Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit denjenigen Ausprägungen der deutschen Telekommunikationslandschaft, welche die Nutzung des Internets beeinflussen; hieraus wird abgeleitet, ob Deutschland sein erklärtes Ziel, die führende Informationsgesellschaft in Europa zu werden, erreichen kann. Telekommunikation wird als Schlüssel für die Transformation in eine Internet-Wirtschaft behandelt, die entsprechende Nutzbarkeit und Qualität von Dienstleistungen werden hierdurch beeinflusst. Das erste Kapitel betrachtet die bundespolitische Reform des deutschen Telekommunikationssektors. Zunächst wird der Liberalisierungsprozess, einschließlich der Änderungen im Telekommunikationsgesetz und der Privatisierung des nationalen Postverwaltungsmonopoles, von einer Fokussierung der Deutsche Telekom und ihrer Tochter T-Online ausgehend, betrachtet. Anschließend erfolgt ein Vergleich der Wettbewerber und deren Angebot an neuen Technologien, wie z.B. ISDN, DSL oder Kabel. Es wird gezeigt, wie der neue Wettbewerb die Telekommunikationskosten und damit auch den Zugang zum Internet bestimmt; Pauschaltarife und deren Einfluss auf Internet-Nutzungsintensitäten bilden hierbei einen Schwerpunkt. Als weiterer Aspekt wird untersucht, inwieweit die Internet-Wirtschaft zum wirtschaftspolitischen Ziel eines hohen Beschäftigungsgrades beitragen kann. 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT............................................................................................................................................................................ I TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................................................................................II LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................................................... IV 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. LAGGING BEHIND ON THE ROAD TO AN INFORMATION SOCIETY?.................................................................3 1.2. THE INTERNET ’S IMPORTANCE TO GERMANY’S ECONOMY.............................................................................6 2. REFORMING THE GERMAN TELECOMMUNICATIO NS SECTOR....................................................13 2.1. WHY REFORM? ..........................................................................................................................................................13 2.2. PRIVATIZING THE PTT MONOPOLY...................................................................................................................14 2.2.1. To an Information Society through Infrastructure.............................................................................15 2.2.2. Splitting up Deutsche Bundespost.........................................................................................................16 2.2.3. Privatization: Deutsche Telekom is Born ............................................................................................18 2.3. EAST MERGES WEST : TELECOMMUNICATIONS IN THE FORMER EAST GERMANY....................................21 2.4. LEGAL REFORM: ISSUES WITH THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS LAW...............................................................24 2.4.1. Licensing....................................................................................................................................................25 2.4.2. Interconnection.........................................................................................................................................26 2.4.2.1. Pricing Interconnection ..................................................................................................................................27 2.4.3. Universal Service.....................................................................................................................................28 2.4.4. Comparison with the United States.......................................................................................................28 2.5. INCUMBENT SLOWS INTERNET DEVELOPMENT ...............................................................................................30 3. COMPETITION AFTER LIBERALIZATION ..................................................................................................31 3.1. COMPETITIVE CARRIERS.....................................................................................................................................31 3.1.1. Alternative Carriers in German Cities.................................................................................................32 3.1.2. Types of Competitive Carriers...............................................................................................................34 3.1.3. A Closer Look at the Competitors.........................................................................................................36 3.2. LIBERALIZATION ROAD-BUMPS: COMPETITORS’ CHALLENGES WITH DEUTSCHE TELEKOM.......................41 3.2.1. Interconnection.........................................................................................................................................41 3.2.2. The Local Loop.........................................................................................................................................43 3.2.3. Colocation .................................................................................................................................................45 3.2.4. Incumbent’s Delaying Tactics Shortsighted........................................................................................47 4. TELECOMMUNICATIONS COSTS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY .............................................50 5. BROADBAND INTERNET ACCESS.....................................................................................................................56 5.1. FASTER ACCESS IMPORTANT..............................................................................................................................56 5.2. COMPETING TECHNOLOGIES: ISDN, DSL, AND CABLE................................................................................59 5.2.1. ISDN ...........................................................................................................................................................59 5.2.2. DSL.............................................................................................................................................................60 5.2.3. Cable: Not a Threat.................................................................................................................................61 5.3. DSL DEVELOPMENT............................................................................................................................................62 5.3.1. Deutsche Telekom's Switch from ISDN to DSL...................................................................................62 5.3.2. DSL Providers ..........................................................................................................................................66 5.4. OUTLOOK...............................................................................................................................................................69 ii 6. INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS: T-ONLINE AND OTHERS .............................................................70 7. FLAT-RATE INTERNET ACCESS........................................................................................................................74 7.1. CHEAPER ACCESS IMPORTANT ...............................................................................................................................74 7.1.1. Types of Access Plans..............................................................................................................................77 7.1.2. Access Prices ............................................................................................................................................78