GdW Report: Fiber-Optic Costs Remain the Responsibility of Landlords

According to the government’s draft of the 2026 TKG Amendment Act, housing companies that self-finance fiber-optic installations in apartment buildings will not recoup their investment at cost. This is the conclusion of an economic report commissioned by the German Housing Industry Association (GdW). The authors are calling for revisions; otherwise, they warn, the rollout could stall.

According to the expert report, the expansion of the in-building fiber-optic infrastructure—known as Network Level 4 (NE4)—costs between 250 and 1,000 euros per residential unit, depending on the building. Unlike telecommunications providers, housing companies cannot recoup these costs through their own end-customer products. The investment risk therefore lies solely with them.

Refinancing options are not sufficient

Study director Prof. Dr. Jens Böcker of Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences and managing director of Böcker Ziemen GmbH examined three refinancing options proposed in the draft: the increase in building value, the modernization surcharge, and the fiber-optic provision fee. His conclusion: None of them is sufficient. The report is also intended to provide the Federal Network Agency with a scientific basis for non-discriminatory guidelines, regardless of who builds the network.

The GdW calls for equal access fees for all investors, regardless of whether the network was built by a housing company or a telecommunications provider.

Criticism of the default provision in Section 22b

The experts view Section 22b of the draft as particularly problematic. It provides for an automatic access obligation that the Federal Network Agency can suspend only retroactively. The European legal framework takes the opposite approach: an access obligation does not take effect until the national regulatory authority orders it upon request. According to the expert opinion, the legislature has chosen the option that, even according to the WIK study, is associated with greater legal risks.

GdW Executive Director Ingeborg Esser warns that even the planned right to full network deployment could slow down progress. A blanket right of access and fee regulations that disadvantage individual investors would be further obstacles.

Industry Advisory Board Established

On January 20, 2026, Deutsche Telekom, along with housing companies, property managers, cooperatives, project developers, and associations, founded the Real Estate Industry Advisory Board in Berlin. GdW President Axel Gedaschko has assumed the chairmanship. The advisory board focuses on fiber-optic expansion in buildings and other digitalization issues.

What does this mean for landlords?

Anyone who self-funds fiber-optic internet in their home should carefully calculate the costs per residential unit and not rely on common-area fees or service charges to cover them entirely. For smaller property owners, the version of the law that is ultimately passed will be decisive. Until then, it’s worth carefully reviewing offers from network operators and clarifying who will bear the cost of the investment.