Telecommunication providers are transforming into technology companies Greece, looking for new revenue streams as service revenue has hit a ceiling. The digital transformation taking place throughout the economy and society is the new "El Dorado" for the telecommunications providers who invest dynamically in new areas and systematically claim more digitization projects.
Revenues from services have remained stagnant in recent years, reaching up to 5 billion and the market to see growth rates slow, following the price war that had erupted over the past two years. That is why providers are turning to digital projects having already undertaken a portofolio that exceeds them 800 million in the first five months of 2023, while in many projects they are also "allies" having taken over different departments.
Η Nova has created a separate company for IT projects, "Nova Information & Communication Technologies SA", and Vodafone announced a few days ago the Fiber2all that the entire fiber optic network infrastructure will be transferred to a more flexible format, also aiming to attract new investors. From the side of OTE which dominates ICT projects in the country, apart from investing in digitization projects, it also develops digital services that follow the pace of the times like Payzy recording satisfactory progress.
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OTE dominance in digital projects
Ο OTE has gained a leading role in ICT sector projects over the last decade, with revenues on a steady upward trajectory, as recorded by their presence in the group's "Other Revenues", where revenues from alternative sources such as sales mobile devices, real estate, academia, etc.
As OTE reports in the financial results of the second quarter of 2023, other revenues increased by 12,5% in the quarter, with revenues from providing system solutions increasing by 26,9% in the quarter. In the first half of the year, "other income" amounted to 308,4 million increasing by 12,4% compared to the corresponding semester in 2022 which had risen to 274,3 million. We remind you that in 2022 ICT projects recorded a strong increase that exceeded 26%.
Ο head of OTE Michalis Chamaz has also stated several times that the group aims to become the national digital provider, while company sources note that the OTE aspires to be an important partner in the country's effort towards the digital transition and the group's intention is to participate in most of the projects that will be carried out in this context.
Already at the beginning of the year, OTE took over the project for cloud services, budget 117 million, up to the digitization of the records of the National Health Service and the courts, while implementing a number of projects in recent years.
Last month, the signatures for his great work had also fallen Ultra Fast Broadband, where OTE has taken over 3 out of 7 LOTS of PPP, having also been appointed as a contractor in his work CRM worth 53 million, which has undertaken it in a joint venture with Unisystems, while participating in the association of companies "EY - OTE -Real Consulting" for the project "Implementation of a Central Hub for the Management & Analysis of Multidimensional Big Data (BigData)", worth 14,9 million.
He is also among the contractors for the MARRIAGE II while in addition to the large ICT projects he has undertaken in the private sector, the OTE has an international presence in projects for European Union Organizations and International Organizations such as eu-LISA.
The group has also implemented in recent years, projects such as Immaterial Prescription and the corresponding myHealth application for mobile phones, the National Telemedicine Network, the National Registry of patients with Covid-19, the electronic document circulation and digital signature platform and the operation of European Emergency Number "112", while at the same time it has developed solutions for the implementation of "Smart Cities" projects.
At the same time, OTE is also developing new services that diversify its revenue streams, such as the application of electronic payments, payzy, the BOX but also the Cosmote Insurance, where satisfactory growth rates are recorded.
In particular, in addition to BOH which has now climbed to the second place of delivery platforms, the application Payzy has managed to count 135.000 users in less than a year of operation after launching in October 2022, with the telco moving into electronic payments. As mentioned recently in the announcement of the group's financial results for the second quarter, the Cosmote Payments, the group's subsidiary OTE to which payzy belongs, showed 2022 turnover 12,030 million from 3,666 million compared to 2021, registering an increase 228,08%.
Vodafone aims to strengthen its presence through flexibility
For its part, h Vodafone has everything and stronger presence in the country's digital transformation and intends to further emphasize IT projects as announced last year by the company's president and CEO H. Broumidis.
Η Vodafone proceeded to establish the subsidiary Fiber2all aiming to advance its plan for the development of the optical fiber network, while it will also create fertile ground for attracting new investors.
Apart from the projects where he is a teammate with the other providers, h Vodafone is also a contractor on the project MARRIAGE II, while in the first half of 2023 it has undertaken the project for the supply, implementation and maintenance of its systems IPTO, which will be run in a joint venture with Netcompany – Intrasoft worth 24 million euros and the provision of primary and backup disaster infrastructure as a service, amounting to 3,6 million.
It has also undertaken the project for the digitization of public education, as well as the project for "Smart Bridges" budget 157,9 million. The Vodafone has undertaken together with her Q&A the digitization of mortgage records for the National Land Registry, value 48 million, as well as the "Development of an Integrated State Aid Information System" project of the Special State Aid Service of the Ministry of Development and Investments, amounting to 6,9 million and the "Transformation of Consular Services procedures", amounting to 4,8 million.
Nova is trying to follow with a new subsidiary
Having now developed a strong interest in its digital projects and opportunities Recovery Fund, Nova in partnership with the group Vardinoyannis created the Nova ICT, to manage the technology and IT projects run by the telecommunications provider, with the aim of expanding the presence of the telecommunications provider.
Already Nova within the first half of the year, he has undertaken as a temporary contractor the project of storing physical records of the public, worth 40 million, and has signed the contract to replace conventional water meters with digital water meters in the network of DEYA Corinth 9,6 million. He has also undertaken part of the telemedicine project, as well as the project for the digitization of the General Archives of the State, a valuable project 48 million.
At the same time, he has undertaken the project for his Open Data Platform (OpenData). IPTO, in cooperation with Space Hellas has undertaken the project for the "Electronic Board", worth 16,5 million as well as the digital transformation of the Historical Museum of the Revolution of Olympus and the digitization of the Archives of the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum, in collaboration with Profile, amounting to 27,7 million, while it also claims Smart Cities projects, however, having to cover a significant distance from its competitors.
A little bird told me, not long ago, that the big boss in the telecom providers, soon, in the medium term (f), will be PPC acquiring a network (either its own, or in partnership with a third party company from the existing providers or some NEW company for the Greek data) optical fiber IN EVERY HOME that has electricity in the territory. That is, everywhere.
He added the little bird that, after achieving this truly enormous task, a second phone provider, will not fit. Finally, something else stuck out to me, which is summed up in "don't bet in favor of cosmote, that cosmote will remain, because you might lose it".
This is what he told me, this is what I say.
f : medium term = 3 to 5 years.