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
At mobile, η πληθυσμιακή κάλυψη του δικτύου 4G αυξήθηκε στο τέλος του 2016 σε 93%, παραμένοντας Νο1 με μεγάλη διαφορά από τον ανταγωνισμό. O Όμιλος OTE αύξησε σημαντικά μέσα στη χρονιά που πέρασε και την πληθυσμιακή κάλυψη του δικτύου 4G+, τεχνολογίας LTE Advanced (LTE-A), η οποία ξεπέρασε πλέον το 82%, προσφέροντας μοναδική εμπειρία mobile internet. Επιπλέον, αξιοποιώντας την απόκτηση νέου φάσματος, ο Όμιλος έκανε διαθέσιμες στους καταναλωτές, πρώτος στην Ελλάδα και από τους πρώτους στον κόσμο ταχύτητες έως και 500 Mbps. Το network mobile telephony of the OTE Group received the "Best in Test" certification in 2016 from the internationally recognized network measurement and control company P3 Communications, 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.
With his participation in 4 research proletterof the European Union aimed at the design and development of new technologies, infrastructures and 5th generation services, the Group contributes practically to the research and development of 5G. Accordingly, it presented the Narrow-Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) technology, which changes the IoT as we know it, since it drastically reduces the consumption energyand the amount of data that is exchanged between devices, no matter how far they are and will be an essential 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.
