9:40 AM -- Deutsche Telekom AG (NYSE: DT) has won a court ruling regarding competitive access to its next-generation, fiber-to-the-cabinet (FTTC), fixed broadband infrastructure.

Dow Jones reports that Germany's top court has ruled that while the incumbent must enable competitive access to its street cabinets, which house the remote VDSL equipment, and to the copper plant that runs from those cabinets to customers' homes, it doesn't need to unbundle the fiber that runs from its central offices to the street cabinets. DT had previously included the unbundling of the fiber assets in its price plans. (See DT Seeks VDSL Price Approval.)

The issue of competitive access and "regulatory holidays" has been a major issue for DT since it first announced its FTTC plans back in 2005. The carrier is currently offering FTTC-enabled broadband services, with downstream speeds of up to 50 Mbit/s in 50 cities. (See Achtung! Regulators Force DT to Share and DT Flings Billions at Fiber Access.)

The ruling comes as Handelsblatt reports that Vodafone Germany , which has been negotiating access to DT's infrastructure to supplement its current fixed-broadband operations, is planning to build out its own VDSL2 network in 750 German cities, the same number as DT. (See Deutsche Telekom Strikes VDSL Deals, Vodafone's Data Drive, and Vodafone Splashes Out on Acquisitions.)

— Ray Le Maistre, International Managing Editor, Light Reading