New French player eyeing Greece’s fiber optic networks

The Greek telecommunications market, with the aim of investing in fiber optic infrastructure, has been explored in recent months by France’s investment group Infravia Capital Partners.

Infravia, which has a stake in fiber optics infrastructure, data centers and other high technology companies in Europe, is interested in developing a Fiber to the Home (FTTH) network that will provide wholesale services to providers. That is, telecommunications groups will utilize Infravia's infrastructure to sell Internet access services to households and businesses.

The FTTH infrastructure market is in its infancy in our country, as the only company that makes serious investments is OTE. PPC has also announced expansion plans in FTTH, while the entry of the United group, which controls Wind Hellas and Nova, may bring about changes. It is not known whether Infravia has contacted domestic groups in a bid to work together with them in developing fiber optic networks.

The government is trying to cover lost ground in Greece through the Ultra Fast Broadband (UFBB) project with a budget close to 850 million euros, in which two bids were submitted a few days ago by OTE and the consortium Grid Telecom - TERNA Energy. The two contractors will undertake to develop fiber optic network in areas that were not included in the commercial plans of the telecommunications providers. These are not remote areas of the country, but also entire neighborhoods of Athens or Thessaloniki and other cities that were found outside the investment plans of OTE, Vodafone Greece and Wind Hellas.

Last week, Infravia announced the creation of a joint venture with Liberty Global Ventures to develop an FTTH network in Germany, with the main focus on areas not covered by telecommunications providers. The French investment company also participates in IFT (Investissement dans la Fiber des Territoires), in a joint venture with the telecommunications group Iliad, for the development of an FTTH network in sparsely populated and provincial cities in France.

IFT has invested around 760 million euros in network development within a few months of its inception. Infravia is also a shareholder in ADTiM, which has undertaken to build and operate, under a 25-year concession contract, a fiber optic network in the Drôme and Ardèche regions of France.