According to the German government's „Gigabitstrategie“, fibre optic connections should be available nationwide by 2030 and the latest mobile communications standard should be available everywhere in a few years' time.
In this context, road authorities and telecommunications companies are faced with the question of which construction companies are suitable for this due to their technical expertise. What other criteria should be applied?
For some time now, the civil engineering and pipeline construction industry has been vehemently calling for quality and sustainability to be firmly focussed on – in particular the Gütegemeinschaft Leitungstiefbau (GLT), the Hauptverband der Deutschen Bauindustrie (BAUINDUSTRIE) and the Rohrleitungsbauverband (rbv).
As announced on 12 June, there is now movement in the matter: a guideline in the form of a brochure has been drawn up under the leadership of the line foundation engineers on behalf of the Bundesministeriums für Digitales und Verkehr (BMDV). The aim is to „summarise essential standards for quality-oriented construction work for gigabit expansion“ and to ensure transparent and fair selection procedures. The practical examples are intended to ensure that only qualified companies with the necessary equipment and expertise are involved in gigabit expansion. In addition to the three organisations, representatives of telecommunications companies and cities and municipalities as well as other professional associations are also involved in the brochure.
Definition and summary of important criteria for construction work
The 24-page handout „Glasfasernetze – Qualität von Bauunternehmen beim Gigabitausbau. Leitfaden für Wegebaulastträger, Bau- und Telekommunikationsunternehmen zur Beurteilung und Förderung der Qualität von Bauunternehmen beim Gigabitausbau“ („Fibre optic networks - quality of construction companies for gigabit expansion“) sets out all the important requirements that a company commissioned with gigabit expansion should meet and also provides valuable tips and assistance on other technical and organisational aspects relating to gigabit expansion. For example, you will find:
- information on proof required by construction companies (such as entries in the commercial register or chamber of crafts, a certificate of exemption from the tax office, proof of insurance, a credit report)
- training requirements with numerous examples of job titles and training certificates to ensure the qualifications and experience of the personnel
- a checklist of technical equipment (mandatory equipment and devices depending on the method, such as milling, ploughing or flush drilling)
- information on compliance with environmental standards and construction and safety regulations
- a catalogue with a key point summary of basic knowledge for laying fibre optic lines in open civil engineering or for line construction
Important step for the industry
GLT's involvement in the content of the BMDV guideline is of great importance: „The quality criteria from our RAL quality mark 962 and thus the VDE-AR-N 4220/4221 standards are reproduced almost 1:1 in this guideline. The fact that political decision-makers are now also recommending compliance with these criteria is an important step towards sustainable construction“, says GLT Managing Director Dipl.-Ing. Susanne Hake.
„With our joint commitment as part of the development process, we want to help ensure that only qualified companies with the necessary equipment and expertise are involved in the gigabit expansion“, adds rbv Managing Director Dipl.-Wirsch.-Ing. Dieter Hesselmann. „This not only serves the goal of sustainable expansion, but also helps to prevent multiple installations and protect existing underground infrastructures.“
Tim-Oliver Müller, Managing Director of BAUINDUSTRIE, emphasises the key role of pipeline construction due to its high level of technical expertise in the context of many future projects such as digitalisation or the energy transition, which is now perceived and valued by politicians: „In recent years, several expert panels have been set up in the Federal Ministry of Transport, in which we are actively heard and our expertise falls on fertile ground. This is a good thing, because our companies are building Germany's digitalisation. This makes it all the more important that implementation is sustainable and efficient, and politicians have set a sensible framework for this with these guidelines. This is also in the interests of taxpayers.“
With a view to shaping Germany's digital future, GLT, HDB and rbv see pipework and civil engineering companies not only as contractors, but also as important partners. Only compliance with and promotion of high standards can guarantee the successful progression of gigabit expansion and strengthen Germany's role in the global digital economy.
The guidelines can be downloaded here:
https://bmdv.bund.de/SharedDocs/DE/Anlage/DG/Digitales/glasfasernetze-qualitaet.pdf?__blob=publicationFile
(Source: RBV)
