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Broadband expansion in Ludwigslust-Parchim: ignite the turbo now!
Ludwigslust-Parchim: Urgent need for fast internet; Survey shows only 6.3/10 points in broadband expansion. Funding helps.
Broadband expansion in Ludwigslust-Parchim: ignite the turbo now!
The Ludwigslust-Parchim region is faced with the challenge of quickly advancing its broadband expansion. In the most recent Home Check, in which an impressive 16,664 people took part, residents rated their home's digital infrastructure with just 6.3 points on average - on a scale of 1 to 10. [Nordkurier] reports that only 88% of households in the region have access to broadband connections with at least 50 Mbit/s, while the national average is an impressive 92%.
The cities of Parchim and Hagenow enjoy almost complete coverage at 99%, while the situation in Wittenburg and Brüel looks significantly worse: there only 56% and 21% of households, respectively, have access to fast internet connections. Given the ever-increasing digital demands, especially for families with multiple users and smart technologies, an internet speed of 100 Mbps is recommended for more than two people. For households of four who stream a lot and use smart devices, even 500 Mbit/s is advisable.
Funding for fiber optic expansion
A ray of hope for digitalization in the region is the 120 million euros in funding provided by the federal and state governments in 2023 to advance fiber optic expansion. These funds even enable a free house connection for underserved households, which District Administrator Stefan Sternberg highlights as a crucial step for infrastructure projects in regional districts. Currently, 37% of households in Ludwigslust-Parchim already have access to extremely fast fiber optic connections with up to 1000 Mbit/s.
As the Federal Network Agency explains, the state can use public funding to support expansion in places where this would not be economically viable. It is necessary that the funded networks are designed to be open to competition and that third parties are granted access. This is supported by legal regulations such as open network access, which has been anchored in law since December 1, 2021. To what extent these measures will be effective remains to be seen.
The national trend in expanding digital infrastructure
The federal government has set itself the goal of specifically accelerating the expansion of the digital infrastructure, which is of paramount importance not only for the region but also for Germany as a whole. An important element is the recent amendment to the Telecommunications Act, which came into force on July 30, 2025, and gives more weight to the construction of cell phone masts and fiber optic lines during the approval process [Federal Government].
Current figures show that 76.5 percent of households in Germany are already supplied with gigabit connections and over 35 percent have access to fiber optic connections. These measures are not only essential for everyday use, but also for crises, such as during the corona pandemic or the 2021 flood disaster.
Overall, the signs in Ludwigslust-Parchim point to progress. However, the region still has a long way to go to keep up with digitalization and provide citizens with the internet speeds they need.