Grüner Veltliner winegrowers gain ultra-fast fibre connectivity

Viniculture and gigabit seem rather odd bedfellows at first glance, but the residents and businesses of rural areas Lower Austria who traditionally depend on agriculture can now benefit from the partnership between Slovenia’s Kontron and Speed Connect Austria.

Speed Connect Austria builds and operates fibre optic networks in rural regions in Austria. With investments in the high three-digit million range, the company supplies communities and small towns with high-quality communications infrastructure. This strengthens and secures the basis for economic growth and social interaction. Speed Connect Austria is a subsidiary of Infracapital, a sustainably oriented European infrastructure investor and key player in European fibre optic expansion.

According to FTTH Council Europe’s recent FTTH market panorama report, Austria has a 42.2% coverage rate, with more than 1.7 million homes passed with fibre as of September 2023.

The new deployment forms part of Speed Connect Austria’s open access project which has been in operation for just under a year and has now seen more than 800 km of fibre being laid in Lower Austria as part of Slovenia Kontron’s Iskratel broadband products, including optical line terminals (OLTs) and optical network terminals (ONTs), enabling 10-gigabit connectivity for residents in the rural region.

One of locations benefitting from fibre connectivity is the Zellerndorf district located in the Retzer Land, a part of the Weinviertel wine-growing region in the northeast of Lower Austria. The Zellerndorf area has seen almost a 10% population decrease over the past two decades. An improved online experience and internet access were identified as crucial to ensure residents have a better place to live and work.

“The investment in modern infrastructure makes our community ready for the digital future and enormously strengthens our attractiveness as a location,” said Markus Baier, the mayor of Zellerndorf.

“Fibre connectivity is as important in creating new opportunities for residents and businesses as electricity was 150 years ago. Fast internet sustainably improves the quality of life, economy and infrastructure in our community.

“I am delighted with the success of the collaboration between Speed Connect Austria and Slovenia’s Kontron that has seen a quick and efficient fibre roll-out, thanks to the advanced technology and great project planning.”

Svjetlana Kalaba, executive director business unit broadband at Kontron Slovenia, added: “We are delighted to see Speed Connect Austria bring ultra-fast fibre broadband to underserved rural areas in Austria. This efficient deployment will benefit all those that have been left behind, and we are privileged to play a key role in this success.”

Antonio de Vall, CFO at Speed Connect Austria, said: “We are celebrating a key milestone for our project and will continue to help drive up the coverage and take-up rates of fibre across Austria to keep pace with other EU countries.”