Turn-Key Project During the Construction of the Telecommunication System in the Five New States of the Frg

Abstract

The political and economic reunification of Germnany in 1990 created a problem for the Deutsche Bundespost Telekom (Telekom). namely to update the totally uinsatisfactory, telecommuinication infrastructure of the new, federal states in the shortest possible time. The greatest challenge was the time factor in other words, the prov,ision of a comprehensive telecommunication system as quick]), as possible. There were two reasons why this was particularly imiportant: 1. The telecommiunication network in the newN states had to be technically as good as, or better than, that in the west. so that enitreprenieurs would not be deterred fromi invlesting. 2. For decades.. the people i-n the niewN states had miade do either with miultiple or party lines, or wvith no telephone at all. For political reasons, therefore, it was felt that the timec had come to bring them up to the level of their nieighibours in the west.