[fuzzy2]

No monopoly. Only for cable internet, which may be a possible argument. For landline internet (DSL), there's plenty of alternatives.

[lxgr]

Unfortunately, having a landline capable of DSL is no longer the default in Germany.

Some apartment buildings exlusively offer DOCSIS via a single provider (as there's never been any unbundling of the DOCSIS "local loop"; presumably under the assumption that a landline will always be available anyway?).

If that one provider is oversubscribed, you're pretty much out of luck.

[Retric]

High speed internet is a market not just internet access. Email might not care that your on a DSL connection but a streamer can’t generally use DSL as a substitute.

[namibj]

They mean VDSL; that's 100~200 Mbit down and 10~24~50 Mbit up.

[account42]

Which is laughably bad in 2025.

[Retric]

VDSL2 can hit those speeds in optimal conditions, but at the end of last year ~14% of Germans have internet under 10Mbps and ~17% where 10-30Mbps.