The Greek incumbent OTE and Ministry of Digital Governance have signed a contract for the development of FTTH in semi-urban and rural parts of the country.
Budgeted at €375 million, with €130 million covered by the European Union Structural and Investment Funds under the NSRF, the project will ensure over 350,000 households gain access to broadband at speeds of up to 1 Gbps.
Commenting on the project, minister of digital governance Socrates Katsikas said: “Signing and inaugurating the Ultra – Fast Broadband project means much more than just a technical step in the digital transformation of the country. In fact, it is the largest telecommunications project in the country and today’s signing underlines that digital policy can enhance growth, stimulate the region and contribute to the development of businesses and meeting the needs of citizens. On behalf of the Greek Government, I am signing as a caretaker Minister, which signals that the state has continuity and can work continuously to improve the quality of life of citizens”.
Chairman and CEO of the OTE Group, Michael Tsamaz added: “At the OTE Group, we are investing heavily, more than €3 billion, in order to upgrade Greece’s infrastructure and make the Gigabit Society a reality by 2027. We are the only telecommunications provider to have responded to the state’s call for investments in UFBB, a project of such importance to our country, and we are proud to be doing so. It is a demanding project, but the challenge does not frighten us. Relying upon our experience in major PPP projects like Rural Broadband, our know-how in fiber optic networks and the commitment of our people, I am confident that we will also carry out this project successfully”.
OTE Group, through its 100% subsidiary Ultrafast OTE, will deploy an FTTH network in three of the seven project areas (Lots 1, 3, 7).
Work on the construction of the FTTH network will commence immediately and it is expected to be completed within the next three years.
Services will gradually become commercially available in the areas where the installation of the fibre optic network is completed.
The first areas of commercial availability are expected in 2024.
