Frankfurt City Delays Departure from Fax Services to Late 2025

The city administration of Frankfurt am Main has announced a postponement in its plan to eliminate fax services, originally scheduled for the end of 2024. Officials revealed that the eFax service will now remain operational until December 31, 2025. The delay is attributed to the continued reliance on fax communications by several key partners within the public sector.

A spokesperson for the city indicated that some of these partners still depend on fax transmissions due to their inability to utilize modern alternatives such as electronic post boxes (ePost) or the electronic communication system known as EGVP. The reliance on fax is particularly prevalent in interactions with judicial and law enforcement agencies, where timely sharing of critical information is often required.

Despite this setback, Frankfurt's administration is recognized as one of the more progressive bodies in Germany regarding the transition away from outdated technologies. Since mid-2022, the city has ceased the procurement of new fax machines, and support for existing devices was terminated at the beginning of 2023. At that time, it was estimated that approximately 800 fax machines were still in use, down from an initial count of around 2,500.

The city aims to phase out the fax server entirely, which would effectively prevent any electronic faxing from city computers. This decision aligns with broader legal frameworks, as fax communication is not recognized as a valid means of correspondence under the German Civil Code and the Administrative Procedure Act. Moreover, there are significant data protection concerns regarding the transmission of personal data through fax, particularly sensitive information.

As the administration moves forward, alternatives to fax communications are being promoted, including various secure electronic communication platforms tailored for public sector use. These changes are part of a larger strategy to modernize administrative practices and improve efficiency in public service delivery.

In summary, while the city of Frankfurt had ambitious plans to eliminate fax services, the complexities of transitioning partners to more modern communication methods have necessitated an extension of the fax service until the end of 2025.