Germany’s digital infrastructure: three priorities for businesses

Digital infrastructure is the foundation for social participation, economic resilience and the state’s ability to act. Without high-performance digital networks, smart grids, autonomous vehicles, modern healthcare or digital administration cannot be realised.

This is also confirmed by the Infrastructure Monitor 2025: for 87 per cent of the companies surveyed, digital infrastructure is the top priority, ahead of transport and energy. Eighty-two per cent of private individuals also share this view.

However, when it comes to satisfaction with digital infrastructure, there is a significant gap in perception between these two groups. Whilst 84 per cent of companies are satisfied, only 45 per cent of citizens share this view. To bridge this trust gap, three key areas for action are crucial: security, availability and price transparency.

Safety as an underestimated factor

Security is the area requiring the most urgent action. 44 per cent of companies see the greatest need for improvement in data centres. Acts of sabotage, such as those targeting the C-Lion1 submarine cable between Finland and Germany and the cable between Sweden and Lithuania in November 2024, have demonstrated just how vulnerable the hardware of digital infrastructure is. Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure are also on the rise, including in the form of state-sponsored espionage, and are part of the new geopolitical reality.

The regulatory response to these threats is correspondingly comprehensive: NIS2 expands the scope of regulated organisations to over 30,000 businesses, and DORA requires the entire financial sector to conduct threat-driven penetration tests.

However, regulation alone does not create security. It merely defines the minimum standard and increases the pressure. What remains crucial is how companies translate these requirements into a living security culture.

Companies that proactively invest in redundant network architectures, encryption and real-time monitoring also gain competitive advantages and build trust.

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Digital infrastructure as a competitive factor

The Infrastructure Monitor shows that high-performance networks and data centres are key to growth, efficiency and digital sovereignty.

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Availability and price transparency: the underestimated levers

There is also a significant gap between corporate and consumer perspectives when it comes to availability and price transparency. Whilst business customers rely on dedicated lines and professional service level agreements (SLAs), private individuals experience dead spots in rural areas or unstable connections when working from home.

Added to this is a lack of price transparency: 32 per cent of businesses see room for improvement in pricing structures. Simple, transparent pricing models can become a real competitive advantage in a market where technical differentiation is becoming increasingly difficult.

Those who combine security, availability and transparency can not only secure competitive advantages but also position themselves as infrastructure providers and architects of digital sovereignty.

Competitive advantages arise where infrastructure builds trust

What specific steps can companies take right now? The following three measures can have an immediate impact:

Thinking strategically about security beyond compliance

Implement zero-trust architectures, set up real-time monitoring via a Security Operations Centre, and carry out regular penetration tests that go beyond the minimum NIS2 requirements. In this way, security is transformed from a mere obligation into a tangible commitment to quality.
Significantly improve availability

Identify critical network paths and secure them with geographically redundant connections; offer binding SLAs with guaranteed availability rates and defined response times; and focus network expansion specifically on underserved regions – that is where the strongest customer loyalty is built.
Making price transparency a key differentiator

Reduce tariff portfolios to a maximum of three clearly distinguishable models with no hidden additional costs, and provide customers with real-time usage overviews. In a market with little technical differentiation, transparency retains customers more effectively than the lowest price.

By consistently addressing these three levers, organisations can not only enhance their technical capabilities but also strengthen their credibility in the market. In this way, digital infrastructure can become a strategic advantage in terms of trust and competitiveness.

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