FROM THE INDUSTRY
We talked a lot about your rebranding strategy at Connected Britain. Your stand was fantastic - so different from all the other branding you see. Can you talk me through the strategy? To create a clear and consistent brand identity, we have changed the company name from AVM to FRITZ! FRITZ! has always been the brand of our CPE - our routers and products. The FRITZ! branding, the colours, the vibrant look is not new. The rebrand of the company name was purely about brand continuity. We’re not looking to change who we are. What does your brand convey? Our brand, the colours, the theme - it’s always been playful and vibrant. We’re a fun company to work with and work for, but we mean business and like to excel. I understand the UK is one territory you’re focusing on next. What are your achievements in mainland Europe? We’ve been established since 1986. We’re present in over 40 countries worldwide, with a focus on Europe. In Germany, the majority of households uses FRITZ! products for their home network and smaller businesses. As a result of our international strategy to develop other markets, we’re also seeing much stronger presence in countries such as Italy, Spain and the Nordics. It helps that we’ve won over 2,000 awards for our products - for best customer experience, exceptional product quality and security design. One thing that sets us apart from our competitors is that our products are manufactured in Germany and Europe, and developed in-house in Berlin. Everything is in-house, even the support team. When they get feedback or suggestions from customers, they pass it on to our development team. The FRITZ!OS firmware is constantly being updated, not just for security. We also add new features to our products, sometimes even more than 10 years after they have
been launched. With FRITZ!, our mission is that you keep your product for as long as possible. That’s very sustainable. As a consumer, I’ve probably had three sets of routers in the 10 years I’ve lived in my house. This ties into what sets FRITZ! apart. To my knowledge, we’re the only CPE vendor to offer a five-year warranty, and frequent free updates. There are customers out there who have been using their FRITZ!Box for more than 13 years! What?! Mine just broke and ended up in landfill. Exactly. Thirteen years running proudly. That’s a massive achievement. Which competitor can offer that? I also understand you’ve had zero security issues over the last 5 years. That’s unheard of. That’s down to the brilliance of our development team. The FRITZ!OS is being updated constantly. On top of that, we offer the FRITZ!Lab, a beta version where customers can test new features before they become part of an official update. Lots of our customers and power users use our FRITZ!Lab, so they’re part of the development process by providing valuable feedback. When I see headlines in the media such as “Routers have been hacked again,” I can stay relaxed, because I know that FRITZ! won’t be affected. You seem very well-placed to take a leap into the UK market. It is very competitive here, though. It is really competitive. However, we provide quality products. And more and more ISPs and end users in the UK are realising that a good router is essential for a fast and stable home network. Zen Internet - an award-winning ISP - have been offering our FRITZ! products for many years now. They are very happy with the products, and so are their customers.
Volume 47 No.4 DECEMBER 2025
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