Vodafone Germany will invest €2 billion in its fixed infrastructure in a bid to deliver gigabit fibre broadband to 13.7 million customers.

The network expansion and upgrade is part of Vodafone’s plan to become a “leading converged communications operator” in the country.

Its investment is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2021 and focus on three distinct segments in cooperation with a range of local partners.

Vodafone’s enterprise-focused unit will open gigabit fibre connectivity to 100,000 companies across 2,000 business parks at a cost of between €1.4 billion and €1.6 billion. Its consumer operation will spend €200 million to €400 million expanding its fibre network to 1 million homes in rural areas.

As part of the scheme Vodafone will also pump €200 million into upgrading existing cable infrastructure to deliver gigabit speeds to its cable base of 12.6 million.

“I am excited to announce this transformational investment plan for Germany, which will bring gigabit broadband services to millions of consumers and businesses,” Vodafone Germany CEO Hannes Ametsreiter said.

“The project is consistent with our strategic goal to become a leading converged communications operator in Germany, enabled by a best-in-class gigabit network infrastructure.”

Convergence is central to Vodafone Group’s strategy across key markets in Europe. The company reported growth of 700,000 converged customers across its footprint in its fiscal Q1 financial statement – covering the three months to end-June.

At the time, Vodafone pointed to increases in its units in Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, meaning 3.8 million of its 15 million fixed broadband customers now take other services.

In Germany, its fixed unit contributed 40 per cent of service revenue in the country in the opening quarter of its financial year, contributing €1 billion to quarterly earnings.