To €1,5 billion, the OTE Group is increasing its investments for the development of New Generation Networks in fixed and mobile telephony in the four years 2017-2020. Despite the difficult financial situation, the Group increases its investment plan by €200 million, laying optical fibers and contributing to the technological development of the country. Having already invested over €2 billion in the past six years, the Group is by far the largest investor in telecommunications infrastructure in Greece.
It is worth noting that these amounts do not include the Group's additional investment in television spectrum and services.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Group OTE, Mr Michalis Tsamaz, said: "We are building the future networks that will cover the needs of households and businesses in the modern digital age. We are contributing to the national recovery effort by developing infrastructure that will boost the Greek economy and create growth prospects. It is our strategic decision to increase our investments to € 1,5 billion by the end of 2020 so that our country can achieve the EU's targets. for broadband. With technology, we strive to create a better world for everyone. "
High goals for 2017
Investing dynamically, within the 2017 Group OTE intends to further develop new generation networks, increasing population coverage, boosting mobile internet speeds and offering new capabilities and services.
On the fixed line, OTE Group is laying optical fibers to make ultra-high speeds on fixed internet available within the year through Vectoring technology, as soon as this is allowed by the regulatory authority. Already, it provides access to VDSL speeds of up to 50 Mbps to 46% of the population, with COSMOTE's VDSL network coverage constantly growing. The ultimate goal and an integral part of the OTE Group's technological plans is for optical fiber to reach the home (Fiber to the Home).
In mobile, the population coverage of the COSMOTE 4G network already stands at 93%, remaining number 1 by a wide margin from the competition, and of the 4G+ network at 82%. Recently, the Group made available to consumers, the first in Greece and among the first in the world, speeds of up to 500 Mbps in Athens, Thessaloniki and other areas. Thanks to the Group's investments, its expansion servicethroughout the country will proceed rapidly.
In 2017, the Rural Broadband project will be completed for the provision of broadband services in 2.247 remote areas in Northern and Southern Greece. The project is progressing rapidly having already reached 90% of its construction, while VDSL speeds up to 50Mbps have already been commercially available in over 250 settlements. The project was designed by the General Secretariat of Telecommunications and Posts and is implemented through a public-private partnership (PPP) in cooperation with the Information Society SA
Finally, 2017 is expected to complete the major transformation project of the All IP fixed network across the Group's infrastructure and services. Its goal is to provide the best customer experience by delivering high-quality IP telephony, high definition (HD) voice and value-added services, as well as operational efficiency.
