(Telecompaper) Deutsche Telekom and German regional utilities provider EWE have signed a declaration of intent to establish a joint venture to expand the fibre-optic network in northwestern Germany and deliver broadband internet to over 1 million households via FTTB/FTTH. The two companies will each own hold a 50 percent stake in the planned joint venture, which will invest up to EUR 2 billion in network expansion over a ten-year time frame in the states of Lower Saxony, North-Rhine Westphalia and Bremen. The joint venture will prioritize rural areas in these states when its planned operations begin in mid-2018.