Frankfurt am Main, March 24, 2025. A recent representative YouGov survey, commissioned by Internet Exchange operator DE-CIX, highlights the importance of digital infrastructure for Germany’s future as a business location. According to the survey, 79 percent of Germans believe that a high-performance digital infrastructure is essential for the country’s economic future. Additionally, 80 percent of respondents consider significant investments in digital infrastructure expansion to be important or very important.
The survey also reveals concerns regarding the German government’s special fund: 43 percent of Germans fear that digitization may be neglected in favor of other areas, while only 32 percent do not share this concern.
Investment in Digital Infrastructure is Crucial
The survey indicates that if the special fund is not significantly invested in digital infrastructure, negative consequences are expected. Specifically, 62 percent foresee a decline in the country’s economic competitiveness, 44 percent worry about the impact on students’ and pupils’ career opportunities due to digital competence gaps, and an equal number believe that Germany will not create any new jobs in future-oriented industries. The areas identified as having the greatest need for digitization are schools and education (59 percent), administration (50 percent), and the nationwide expansion of fiber optic networks (36 percent). Only 2 percent of participants consider investment in digital infrastructure expansion to be unimportant.
Investment and Courage Needed to Boost Germany’s Competitiveness
“The investment backlog in Germany is evident and widespread – from the dilapidated rail network to crumbling bridges. The state of the digital infrastructure is less visible,” says Ivo Ivanov, CEO of DE-CIX. “Our country has relied too long on its own resources. Now is the time to look to the future, take bold steps, and invest in the competitiveness of Germany’s business model. We need policies that support and promote the ICT sector and are more aligned with current challenges. One thing is clear: without digital infrastructure, there can be no prosperity and no growth.”
A high-performance digital infrastructure requires high bandwidths and low latency, as well as stable, fail-safe, and optimized connections to clouds, AI service providers, companies, and end users. “Internet Exchanges and edge nodes are fundamental for this. They ensure smooth digital processes in industry, business, and public administration, and secure digital sovereignty, technological innovation, and economic opportunities in Germany,” says Ivanov. “The nationwide expansion of gigabit-capable networks must therefore be massively accelerated.”
30 Years of DE-CIX: Digital Infrastructure from Germany for the World
For 30 years, DE-CIX has been operating critical digital infrastructure in Germany. Founded in 1995, the company launched its first Internet Exchange, DE-CIX Frankfurt. Today, DE-CIX provides neutral exchange points worldwide, where Internet, cloud, and content providers interconnect their networks to exchange data securely and efficiently, bypassing the public Internet. DE-CIX Frankfurt, the first, oldest, and largest Internet Exchange, connects nearly 1,100 networks and is accessible from data centers in over 600 cities.
For more information about the anniversary, visit our DE-CIX 30 Years website: https://www.de-cix.net/30years
About the Survey:
The survey data is based on online interviews with YouGov panel members who agreed to participate in advance. A total of 2,010 people were interviewed between March 18 and March 20, 2021. The survey was quota-weighted by age, gender, and region, and the results were then weighted accordingly. The results are representative of the resident population in Germany aged 18 and over.
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