DUESSELDORF, Germany, June 17 (Reuters) - Deutsche Telekom's finance chief is optimistic that the telecoms group will soon agree with rival Vodafone on a price for access to its high-speed Internet broadband services in Germany.
"We are in intense negotiations with Vodafone," Timotheus Hoettges said at an industry event in Duesseldorf on Wednesday.
Hoettges said he hoped to reach an agreement with Vodafone before the launch of Deutsche Telekom's VDSL double play offer -- telephone and Internet --, which will most likely be available next month.
So far, Deutsche Telekom has only offered VDSL connections, available in some 50 German cities, in combination with its Internet based TV (IPTV).
Deutsche Telekom had said earlier this year that it was willing to allow competitors access to its VDSL network -- a faster version of standard broadband technology with speeds of several tens of megabits per second, enough for high-definition video streaming.
However, a sticking point has been the monthly rate of around 30 euros price Deutsche Telekom had originally proposed.
The price would eventually decline as usage of the network increased, Hoettges has said.
Rivals such as Vodafone have long argued for access to Deutsche Telekoms VDSL network. Regulators have so far only said Deutsche Telekom must allow competitors access to its pipes, so that they can roll out fibreglass on their own.
(Reporting by Nikola Rotscheroth, writing by Nicola Leske; editing by Elaine Hardcastle)