OTE Group's next-generation networks saw significant growth over the past year, thanks to a € 1,3 billion investment plan that implements. With the Group's investments, 2016 has more customers enjoying new, high-speed fixed and mobile Internet services and higher quality services.
OTE Group Chief Officer for Technology and Operations, Mr. Stefanos Theoharopoulos, said: "For 2016, we set high targets for the development of New Generation networks. We have achieved them and that means more customers have access to faster connection speeds and new services. Behind every call, every email and every post, there are the network and IT technicians who create the new networks and ensure their smooth operation as well as all the employees in the group who daily care for the quality service of our customers. Thank you. We will continue, with the same enthusiasm and commitment, to upgrade the experience our customers enjoy. "
2016: High speed internet and new services for even more
In mobile telephony, 4G's population coverage grew at 2016 at the end of 93%, leaving NOXNXX a big difference from competition. OTE Group has significantly increased the population of 1G +, LTE Advanced (LTE-A) network, which has now surpassed 4%, offering a unique mobile internet experience. In addition, utilizing the acquisition of new spectrum, the Group made available to consumers, first in Greece and the world's first speeds up to 82 Mbps. The OTE Group's mobile network also received 500 certification "Best in Test" from the internationally recognized P2016 Communications measurement and control company, confirming the high quality of voice and mobile internet services enjoyed by COSMOTE subscribers.
In the fixed line, the OTE Group continued to replace the copper fiber network, providing access to VDSL up to 50 Mbps to even more consumers with population coverage increasing to 46%. Plus, over 2 millions of households and businesses have access to speeds up to 50 Mbps.
In addition, with the new COSMOTE Home Speed Booster service, which became available last year and combines the speed of fixed broadband connection with the speed of 3G & 4G networks, through Hybrid Access technology, the OTE Group offers faster fixed Internet with final speeds up to 100Mbps.
Investing in research and innovation
In order to be a pioneer in technological developments, OTE Group participates in a series of innovative research projects and evaluates new technologies and equipment for the future of telecommunication in its laboratories.
Through its participation in 4 European Union research projects on the design and development of new 5 generation technologies, infrastructures and services, the Group contributes actively to the research and development of 5G. Similarly, he presented the Narrow-Band Internet of Things technology (NB-IoT) that changes the IoT as we know it, drastically reducing energy consumption and volume of data moving between devices as far as they are and making it a necessary tool in the smart cities of the near future.
It is worth noting that in 2016 the OTE Group mobile network, after many years of research and preparation, introduced the new IPv6 Internet addressing protocol for better support of IoT technologies. In addition, after continuous testing in collaboration with manufacturers, COSMOTE was the first in Greece to present Voice over WiFi & Voice over LTE technologies, which allow subscribers to call and send SMS via WiFi, make faster calls and enjoy even better communication.
