01 — The Moment
A market mid-rollout,
waiting for a model.
Germany's fibre build-out is past halfway — but adoption lags far behind. The infrastructure exists; the commercial model to monetise it does not. That gap is the largest open opportunity in German telecoms — and it is time-boxed.
Figure 01 Built, but not earning — the monetisation gap
Of homes already passed with fibre
Share connected vs. passed-but-idle
26%
74% built, not earning
Connected & generating revenue
Passed, but not connected — capital sunk, returns waiting
Operators have spent the capital to pass the homes. Three in four sit unconnected. The bottleneck is no longer civil works — it is the commercial model, the software, and the go-to-market to convert passings into paying customers.
What fibre entry turns on
01
Timing
Is the window real — and how long does it stay open?
Subsidy windows, consolidation pressure and EU digital targets all point to a 12–18 month window before positions harden.
02
Transfer
Does the proven electricity model actually work in fibre?
The operational logic — software, infrastructure partners, structured rollout — is exactly what idle fibre operators lack.
03
Access
Who gets you into the right rooms before competitors do?
Fibre is a different network of players, regulators and commercial structures. Relationships, not capability, are the barrier.
Why now
52.8% of German homes are passed — only 26% are connected. Germany ranks 40th in the OECD on fibre adoption, at 12.2% of broadband. 200+ regional operators and Stadtwerke beside the majors are under pressure to make their economics work. The partnerships formed in the next 12–18 months will define the decade that follows.
Sources: BearingPoint Open Access Marktstudie 2025; Netzbetreiberstudie 2025; OECD broadband statistics.
02 — The Fit
You already run this model.
Just not in fibre.
Software, infrastructure partnerships, structured rollout — trusted by Stadtwerke, in electricity. The capability transfers cleanly. The relationships don't. The gap isn't what you can do; it's the rooms you're not yet in.
Figure 02 The same municipalities — electricity today, fibre tomorrow
Relationships you hold in electricity
The same institutions, entering fibre
What transfers
A software capability fibre operators urgently need.
Idle operators run on patched, outdated systems. BSS/OSS, customer portals and open-access wholesale platforms are exactly what they must buy to monetise — and what you already build for utilities.
What transfers
A rollout model that is proven, not theoretical.
Software + infrastructure partners + structured rollout is the combination idle fibre operators are missing. The operational logic moves across markets intact.
The gap
Market access — a different set of rooms.
Fibre has its own players, regulators and commercial structures. Building those relationships cold is slow and expensive. This is the one thing the model cannot manufacture on its own.
03 — The Combination
An offer neither of us
can make alone.
Apart, each side is incomplete: a consultancy that advises but can't build, or a software company that builds but can't get in. Combined, the gap closes — one integrated offer no one else in the market can assemble.
BearingPoint opens
Market access, intelligence, and the right relationships.
- Authored the Open Access Marktstudie 2025 — the definitive map of Germany's fibre market, modelled through 2030
- Relationships with Vodafone, Telefónica and Stadtwerke on the telco side — the institutions you already know from electricity
- Deep regulatory fluency — open access and wholesale-only models, the complexity that stalls newcomers
- 300+ telecom consultants globally; a fibre practice, not a slide deck
[Software Company] brings
Software, infrastructure, and a rollout model that already works.
- Software development for utilities — BSS/OSS, customer portals, open-access wholesale platforms
- Infrastructure partnerships and a proven rollout model — executed, not theorised
- Stadtwerke trust, earned in electricity — a direct bridge into the same municipalities entering fibre
- A repeatable end-to-end model, ready to transfer
The integrated offer — one door, four capabilities
Delivers
One complete solution for a fibre operator
One Integrated Offer
Market intelligence + software + rollout + commercial structuring — through a single door.
€€€
Pillar · Access
Market Intelligence
Open Access study · operator relationships · regulatory depth
BearingPoint
Pillar · Software
Built for Fibre
BSS/OSS · customer portals · open-access wholesale platforms
[Software Co.]
Pillar · Rollout
Infrastructure Model
Proven partnerships · executed rollouts · commercial structuring
[Software Co.] + BearingPoint
Alone: a report on one side, a long cold sales cycle on the other. Together: the one offer a fibre operator can't assemble anywhere else.
Why together — 1 + 1 = 3
BearingPoint alone
Knows the market. Holds the relationships.
But can't build software or execute a rollout. The engagement ends with a report.
[Software Company] alone
Has the product and the rollout model.
But no fibre access, long sales cycles, wrong targets. The deal takes years.
Together
One complete offer, through one door.
Intelligence + software + rollout + commercial structuring — delivered, not advised. Neither can make this offer alone.
04 — The Intelligence Layer
Most partnerships take quarters
to reach full depth.
This one starts there. Before the first joint session, both sides operate from a synthesised picture of each other — and of every target before first contact. The collaboration runs from week one at a depth that normally takes quarters.
Figure 03 Both sides, and every target — synthesised before the first meeting
How it works
1
Synthesise both sides
Products, value, customer profiles, rollout model and commercial constraints — mapped against BearingPoint's market intelligence, relationships and fibre opportunity data.
2
Map every target first
Each prospect's infrastructure state, commercial pressures and procurement patterns — understood before the first outreach, not discovered during it.
3
Operate as one team
A joint value proposition grounded in how each party actually works — sharper targeting, faster alignment, no months of discovery overhead.
The result
You walk into the first fibre conversation already looking like you've done a quarter of discovery — because you have. This is the operational layer that lets the partnership move at the speed the window demands.
05 — The Collaboration
A bounded first step
into a decade-long market.
Not a strategy study. A market-entry operation — mapping the real opportunity, building the joint offer, and returning with signed letters of intent from named fibre prospects.
200+
Regional operators & Stadtwerke seeking a partner
74%
Of passed homes still unconnected — the addressable gap
2–3
Letters of intent — committed demand, in 3–4 months
What you receive — three concrete deliverables
Deliverable 01
Fibre Opportunity Map
The 8–12 most viable targets: Stadtwerke mid-rollout under take-up pressure, regional operators needing a software + infrastructure partner. Each with revenue potential and a BearingPoint relationship entry point.
Deliverable 02
Joint Value Proposition
One integrated package — intelligence, software, rollout, commercial structuring — positioned for the buying logic of a fibre operator and tested in early market conversations.
Deliverable 03
Letters of Intent
2–3 LOIs from concrete, named fibre operators or Stadtwerke — validated demand in writing, not a pipeline projection.
How the engagement runs — 3–4 months
1
Month 1
Align & baseline
- Joint team and governance set
- Synthesised intelligence baseline — both sides, mapped
- Target universe scoped
2
Months 2–3
Map & build
- Fibre Opportunity Map delivered
- Revenue potential + entry point per target
- Joint value proposition tested live
3
Month 4
Commit
- 2–3 Letters of Intent secured
- Commercial model for joint delivery
- Go / scale plan for the partnership
The first step
Bounded
One fixed-fee engagement — 3–4 months, defined scope and risk
‹
One converted LOI
Multiples
A single mid-sized Stadtwerke fibre engagement is worth many times the first step
This first collaboration is step one. Prove the model on fibre, and the same approach scales across every operator and Stadtwerke in the market.
Investment — First Collaboration
€250,000
A single fixed engagement over 3–4 months. Not a report — a market-entry operation that ends with committed prospects in writing.
To begin: a joint kickoff, access to your product and rollout model for the intelligence baseline, two to three working sessions, and an executive sponsor on each side.
Your point of contact & project lead
Marcel Tietjen
Partner, BearingPoint · Digital & Strategy
Leads BearingPoint's technology engagements across Communication, Media & Entertainment — platforms, partnerships and telecommunications networks. This collaboration is his remit.
Begin the first collaboration →
Connect on LinkedIn ↗
3–4 months. Mapped opportunity. Signed intent.