• The University of Europe for Applied Sciences analyses the availability of different broadband speeds at schools across Germany’s 20 largest cities
• Bochum leads in gigabit availability at 99.1%, followed by Cologne at 97.7% and Düsseldorf at 93.5%
• Since 2023, average gigabit availability across the cities surveyed has increased from 67.4% to 84.7%

Berlin, 19 October 2026 – Fixed-line broadband connections offering speeds of at least one gigabit per second (Gbit/s) are available to an average of 84.7% of schools across the 20 German cities and administrative areas surveyed, up from 67.4% in 2023. These are the findings of a new analysis by the University of Europe for Applied Sciences (UE), based on data from the Gigabit Register maintained by Germany’s Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur). Nationwide, gigabit connectivity was available to 85.4% of schools in 2025.

Bochum and Cologne Approach Full Coverage, While Münster Ranks Last

Bochum has the highest gigabit availability among the cities surveyed, with connections of at least 1 Gbit/s available to 99.1% of schools. Cologne follows at 97.7%, ahead of Düsseldorf at 93.5%. Wuppertal ranks fourth at 92.1%, closely followed by Frankfurt am Main at 92.0%. Berlin and Stuttgart also exceed the 90% threshold, reaching 90.4% and 90.3%, respectively.

Münster ranks last, with gigabit connections available to 68.5% of schools. Dresden stands at 71.4%, followed by Essen at 71.8%. The gap between Bochum and Münster therefore amounts to 30.6 percentage points.

“Over the past two years, average gigabit availability at the school locations surveyed has increased by 17.4 percentage points. This represents significant progress. The DigitalPakt Schule, Germany’s national school digitalisation initiative, had already identified gigabit connectivity as a target for broadband funding in schools. High-speed connections provide the technical foundation for large numbers of students to access learning platforms, cloud services and digital applications simultaneously. Our findings show that this infrastructure is now available at considerably more school locations than just two years ago,” says Prof. Dr. Maurits van Rooijen, President of the University of Europe for Applied Sciences and Chief Academic Officer of the international education network Global University Systems.

Interactive chart: Fixed-line broadband availability across all technologies, 2025

View the interactive Datawrapper chart

High-Speed Broadband More Widely Available Than in 2023

In 2023, connections offering speeds of at least 400 Mbit/s were available to an average of 67.5% of schools across the cities and administrative areas surveyed. For speeds of at least 1 Gbit/s, the figure stood at 67.4%. By 2025, these figures had risen to 85.0% and 84.7%, respectively.

Average gigabit availability has therefore increased by 17.4 percentage points over the two-year period. The two highest bandwidth categories examined are now almost on a par, with a difference of just 0.3 percentage points between connections offering at least 400 Mbit/s and those offering at least 1 Gbit/s.

Lower broadband speeds are also now available at the vast majority of schools surveyed. On average, 98.2% have access to connections of at least 16 Mbit/s, 96.3% to at least 100 Mbit/s and 91.1% to at least 200 Mbit/s.

AI Is Changing the Demands on Schools

One example of how digital education could evolve is the Adaptive Intelligent System (AIS), an AI-powered learning platform jointly developed by Germany’s federal states using funding from the DigitalPakt Schule initiative. The platform adapts exercises to students’ individual learning levels, with the aim of making personalised support easier to provide in everyday teaching. Initial trials are now beginning at selected schools.

Prof. Dr. Maurits van Rooijen comments:

“The fact that Germany’s federal states are piloting their own AI-powered learning platform in schools demonstrates just how firmly artificial intelligence is becoming established in education. Systems like AIS have the potential to create new opportunities for supporting students more effectively according to their individual learning needs.

“At the same time, their introduction is changing what schools need to deliver. Alongside robust digital infrastructure, students must learn how to use AI effectively, critically evaluate its outputs and understand the technology’s limitations. These skills will become increasingly important throughout their educational journeys.

“At universities, we are already seeing how naturally AI is becoming part of everyday learning and working practices. Schools therefore have a crucial role to play in preparing young people to use these technologies competently, critically and responsibly when they progress to higher education. Achieving this requires teachers who can provide appropriate educational guidance, as well as teaching approaches that integrate digital tools meaningfully into the classroom.”

About the Study

The analysis draws on data from Germany’s Gigabit Register (Gigabit-Grundbuch) on fixed-line broadband availability at schools. It examines the availability of different broadband speeds across 20 major German cities and administrative areas. Data from the full calendar years 2023, 2024 and 2025 were used to assess developments over time.

The figures indicate the availability of fixed-line broadband connections at the respective school locations. They do not establish whether schools have actually subscribed to these connections or what internet speeds they achieve in everyday use.

For Hannover, the underlying dataset provides figures only for the wider Hannover Region, which includes both the city itself and surrounding municipalities. As a result, these figures are not directly comparable with those of the other cities surveyed.

About the University of Europe for Applied Sciences (UE)

The University of Europe for Applied Sciences (UE) offers Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes as well as dual Bachelor’s and MBA programmes. UE has received institutional accreditation from the German Council of Science and Humanities (Wissenschaftsrat) for the maximum period of ten years and holds system accreditation from FIBAA.

The university has twice received the German Education Award (Deutscher Bildungs-Award), while its practice-oriented dual study programmes have also been recognised among Germany’s “Best Providers of Dual Study Programmes” by STERN. UE is part of GUS Germany GmbH (GGG), a network of educational institutions with more than 18,000 students at locations across Germany, Europe and beyond. UE currently has around 7,800 students from 143 countries.