(photo: Rudy Zijlstra)
CABLE CONGRESS 2011 – LUCERNE. Europe’s cable networks see no need for major investment in mobile networks. Speaking at the opening View from the Top session Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries said it was a difficult time to be a mobile operator, particularly when you studied the margins and the capital requirements needed to stay ahead.
Fries explained it did not mean the company was not looking at mobile opportunities, but it was a very situational question, which differs in every market. “In almost every case it’s a capital, light MVNO [Mobile Virtual Network Operator] business, rather than jumping in and building towers.” He added that adding other screens as part of the T everywhere concept doesn’t involve getting into the mobile business.
Bernard Dijkhuizen, CEO, of Dutch operator Ziggo added that it was possible to bring mobility in and the use of Wi-Fi to distribute content around the house was close to what the operator was already doing.
Last year, UPC and Ziggo won a licence in a joint bid for mobile spectrum released in the Netherlands.
Rosalía Portela, who as CEO of ONO has brought the Spanish cablenet out of troubled times, said the company had to be careful not just to start building again. “In Spain we have a big advantage, particularly in the summer people spend a lot of time outside, and there is a demand for data,” this she said fueled demand for internet connectivity and the company was looking to join in on the release of new mobile spectrum.
