The Consumer Access segment comprises our landline-based broadband products as well as our mobile internet products for private users – including the respective applications, such as home networks, online storage, telephony, or IPTV.
We offer our customers these internet access products as subscription contracts with fixed monthly fees (and variable, volume-based charges) and contractually fixed terms.
Broadband Connections
With our broadband products under the 1&1 brand (especially VDSL/vectoring and fiber-optic connections), we are one of Germany’s leading suppliers.
We use our own fiber-optic network (1&1 Versatel) and connect the “last mile” of VDSL/vectoring connections (FTTC = Fiber-to-the-Curb) mainly via the BNGs/Layer 2 infrastructure of Deutsche Telekom (or Layer 3 outside our own fiber-optic network). In the case of direct fiber-optic connections (FTTH = Fiber-to-the-Home), we connect the “last mile” via the FTTH home connections of leading city carriers and Deutsche Telekom. In the case of our business with ADSL connections (currently being phased out), we use further advance service providers.
Mobile Internet
United Internet is also one of the leading providers of mobile internet products in Germany and European pioneer in applying Open RAN technology.
Since the launch of mobile services on the 1&1 5G network in December 2023, Germany once again has four mobile networks. The 1&1 O-RAN is Europe’s first fully virtualized mobile network - independent of dominant network equipment vendors, cloud-native, and ready for real-time applications.
The centerpiece of the 1&1 5G network (1&1 O-RAN) is a private cloud extending across hundreds of decentralized edge data centers. All network functions are software-controlled and run on conventional servers. Gigabit antennas are deployed at all antenna sites, connected via fiber to the 1&1 edge data centers. This network architecture enables minimal latency, which is indispensable for future real-time applications.
Unlike traditional networks based on proprietary technology from dominant vendors, the 1&1 O-RAN features standardized interfaces. This allows software and hardware components from the most innovative and secure providers to be combined flexibly. Of approximately 100 partner companies in the 1&1 O-RAN, around 50 percent are from Germany, further 40 percent from other European countries, and 10 percent from the USA and Asia. Hardware and software providers from China are not involved.
In areas where the 1&1 O-RAN initially has no own radio coverage during the expansion phase, 1&1 utilizes national roaming. National roaming is a common practice in the deployment of new mobile networks, enabling customers in not yet covered areas to surf and make calls seamlessly. In these areas, antennas from our national roaming partner Vodafone are used automatically.
