Only 317,000 of these connections are currently activated – and therefore almost 17 percent of the potential. According to the RTR Internet Monitor, 1.9 million broadband connections could currently be established. However, there is at least one positive trend: the number of activated connections up to the first quarter has increased by 22 percent within a year.
“There is still a lot of room for improvement in demand,” said Klaus Steinmaurer, RTR’s managing director for telecommunications and postal services. “The alternatives are apparently still good enough for many people. But I assume that this will change soon.”
This is also reflected in user behavior: in the first quarter of this year, 2,950 petabytes of data volume – ten percent more than a year earlier – were consumed via fixed and mobile networks. The volume of data transmitted via mobile networks increased by 17 percent to 1,266 petabytes. The data volume via landline networks only increased by almost seven percent to 1,684 petabytes.
Energie AG second largest provider
Around 751,000 of the 1.9 million available connections are in Vienna. There is already capacity for 276,000 connections in Upper Austria and around 266,000 connections in Lower Austria. Burgenland has the fewest households and is therefore at the bottom of the list in Austria with 17,500 available connections.
There are currently a large number of mostly smaller providers. With a 30.3 percent market share, A1 Telekom Austria is the market leader for fiber optic connections, followed by Energie AG Oberösterreich (6.9 percent) and Kabelplus (6.8 percent).
More on the topic
Real estate: fiber optic network is an important purchase criterion
In what ways does the availability of fiber optic connections influence real estate values in different geographic regions?
Based on the data and observations provided, it is evident that there is a significant growth in data consumption within both fixed and mobile networks, with mobile usage seeing a particularly sharp increase. The change in user behaviour emphasizes the growing demand for robust internet infrastructure, which is crucial in the context of rising digital connectivity expectations.
With regard to the telecommunications market, A1 Telekom Austria holds a substantial lead in the fiber optic connections segment, but other providers like Energie AG Oberösterreich and Kabelplus are also noteworthy players. The availability of connections varies geographically, with urban areas like Vienna showing a higher number of connections compared to regions such as Burgenland.
Moreover, the emphasis on fiber optic networks has extended into other sectors, such as real estate, where the presence of high-speed internet capabilities is increasingly becoming a decisive factor for potential buyers. This underscores the essential role that broadband infrastructure plays not only in telecommunications but also in broader economic activities, including housing and property markets.
the current trends signal a strong and growing reliance on data connectivity, highlighting the need for continued investment in telecom infrastructure to meet the escalating demands of consumers and businesses alike.
