German fixed line network operator Arcor has launched a fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) pilot in Hanau in the central state of Hesse. The project connects ‘Coloneo’, a rural housing project with 300 homes, to Arcor’s fibre-optic backbone and offers data rates of up to 100Mbps plus fixed line telephony. Chinese equipment vendor Huawei has supplied the equipment for the new network.
According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database, Vodafone-owned Arcor operates Germany’s second largest fixed line voice and data network. The company offers a full range of services in more than 800 towns and cities nationwide, while its infrastructure passes over 60% of households and comprises 33,200km of fibre. The number of Arcor’s xDSL lines in service stood at three million at the end of December 2008.