Cosmote: It will double the speeds of fixed broadband internet for free

The country changes speed and evolves into real Digital Country with the decisive contribution of the OTE Group.

Μwith a significant increase in total investment, which will exceed 3 billion until 2027, o OTE Group will implement the fixed network that will meet the digital needs of the country for the coming decades, bringing the optical fiber (FTTH) to 3 million homes and businesses. In addition, the Group made the strategic decision to upgrade, for free, the speeds of fixed broadband internet which COSMOTE subscribers enjoy today, where this is technologically feasible, dramatically increasing the penetration of ultra-high speeds.

The President and CEO of OTE Group, Mr. Michael Tsamaz, stated in this regard:

Ο OTE Group builds the digital future of Greece. We respond to the real needs of the State, society and the market, building today the network on which growth will be based in the coming decades and upgrading speeds for free for our customers.

Its rapid development FTTH network is a great challenge, a difficult task of great importance for the country. The burden of responsibility does not frighten us. If anyone can complete this project, it is the OTE Group and its people.

Michael Tsamaz_ President and CEO of OTE Group

H greater investment in telecommunications infrastructure that has been made in recent decades in Greece
Increase in investments to over 3 billion euros in total by 2027
Fiber optics to home (FTTH) to 3 million households and businesses, ie about 2/3 of the country's lines
Free fixed gear upgrade Internet for subscribers COSMOTE
Meeting of the CEO of Deutsche Telekom Group, Mr. Tim Höttges, the head of Deutsche Telekom for Europe, Mrs. Dominique Leroy and the head of OTE Group, Mr. Michalis Tsamaz, with the Prime Minister

Greece changes speed and evolves into real Digital Country with the decisive contribution of the OTE Group. With a significant increase in total investment, which will exceed 3 billion by 2027, the OTE Group will implement the fixed network that will meet the digital needs of the country for the next decades, bringing the optical fiber (FTTH) to 3 million homes and businesses. In addition, the Group made the strategic decision to upgrade, for free, the speeds of fixed broadband internet which COSMOTE subscribers enjoy today, where this is technologically feasible, dramatically increasing the penetration of ultra-high speeds.

OTE Group's plan for the digital future of the country announced to the Prime Minister, Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the Minister of State and Digital Governance, Mr. Kyriakos Pierrakakis, the CEO of Deutsche Telekom Group, Mr. Tim Höttges, the head of Deutsche Telekom for Europe, Ms. Dominique Leroy, the President and CEO of OTE Group, Mr. Michalis Tsamaz, and the Legal Advisor and Chief Officer of Legal & Regulatory Issues of OTE Group, Ms. Irini Nikolaidis, in a meeting held at the Maximos Palace.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister was also informed about the decision of the Group to proceed to investment in the Phaistos Fund, amounting to EUR 3 million, following the recent practical support of the initiative with the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between COSMOTE and "5G participations».

FTTH: Investing in the future

With a significant increase in total investment in over 3 billion by 2027, the OTE Group changes the data, bringing FTTH to 3 million homes and businesses. Implementing this project of great importance, the Group will cover approximately 2/3 of the lines of Greece with fiber to the home, thus responding to current and future needs and creating new perspectives for digital development. Today, the OTE Group FTTH lines amount to approximately 560.000.

With these investments, the OTE Group will contribute significantly to the success of the Digital Transformation Book 2020-2025 and the National Broadband Plan 2021-2027, but also to the significant improvement of Greece's deviation from the average of the European Digital Economy and Society index. DESI.

Station Initiative: Free gear upgrades for subscribers COSMOTE

The OTE Group took the strategic decision to upgrade, for free, the speeds of fixed broadband internet which COSMOTE subscribers currently enjoy in areas where fiber optics have not yet reached home, where this is technologically feasible. The aim of this initiative is enhancing high speed penetration Internet and exploiting the current capabilities of fixed networks by most of the population.

The upgrade of the speeds without any financial burden, if approved by EETT, is expected to start in the first quarter of 2022 and to be completed gradually during the year. The potential upgrades will also benefit the potential / new COSMOTE fixed subscribers, as new fixed programs will be commercially available, once approved by EETT.

The initiatives of the OTE Group will enhance the customer experience and will strengthen its long-term prospects.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister, Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said:

The decision taken by its Board of Directors Deutsche Telekom is a vote of confidence in the country. It is a vote of confidence in your excellent local team and in OTE. But I also believe that it is a vote of confidence in our policies that are pushing for digitization at a much faster pace and for us to be pioneers rather than tails at European level. We have discussed many times the opportunities offered by Greece, as a country that can lead the digital transformation.

After the pandemic, many people have decided that Greece is a great place to work. But to make Greece even more attractive, we need good connectivity, with the widest possible population coverage, at the best possible prices to be competitive on this front. I believe that your decision really helps us to move in this direction.

In the context of the meeting with the Prime Minister, Mr. Tim Höttges said:

Deutsche Telekom's investment in Greece is of strategic importance to us. Especially in recent years, the country has made great progress in all areas, proving that it is among the most advanced countries in Europe. With the FTTH rapid development strategic plan, we strongly support the vision for the digital transformation of the country and give a vote of confidence in its development prospects.

By investing in FTTH, we invest in the future of Greece, in the future of Europe. State-of-the-art network infrastructure is a key factor in business extroversion, attracting investment, creating new jobs, radically changing everyday life. Fiber optics to the home is a one-way street for any country that aims to grow digitally and improve its international competitiveness.

With a game-changing move, we are proceeding with the largest investment made in Greece in recent decades for telecommunications infrastructure, and we are putting the country at the forefront of the digital age. , said Ms. Dominique Leroy.

The President and CEO of OTE Group, Mr. Michael Tsamaz, stated in this regard:

OTE Group is building the digital future of Greece. We respond to the real needs of the State, society and the market, building today the network on which growth will be based in the coming decades and upgrading speeds for free for our customers.

The rapid development of the FTTH network is a great challenge, a difficult task of great importance for the country. The burden of responsibility does not frighten us. If anyone can complete this project, it is the OTE Group and its people.

The country is changing speed

With the largest investment in telecommunications infrastructure that has been made in recent decades in Greece, the OTE Group builds the digital future

The need for the country

OTE Group, consistent in its long-term strategy in fiber optic networks, after bringing fiber optics to the neighborhoods, giving high broadband speeds to a wide range of the population in a relatively short period of time, moves on to the next step of its strategic plan to meet the needs of the country.

In order for the country to stand equal in the international market and to remain on a growth trajectory, it is necessary:
Enhance the penetration and use of ultra-high speeds and
To create today the state-of-the-art fiber optic infrastructure that will meet the needs of the coming decades at Gigabit speeds, creating new perspectives for digital development.

The OTE Group responds to the need of the country to change speed, with two important initiatives that will change the data:

It directly enhances the penetration of high speeds, upgrading, completely free of charge, the fixed internet speeds enjoyed today by COSMOTE subscribers in areas where fiber optics have not yet reached home, where this is technologically feasible.
It undertakes to bring fiber optic (FTTH) to 3 million homes and businesses, significantly increasing its investment plan to over 3 billion euros by 2027. Only from the investments of the Group, almost the 2/3 of the lines of Greece with optical fiber to the house.

This is a huge project with great complexity of implementation, and the largest investment in telecommunications infrastructure that has been made in recent decades in Greece. A project that will decisively change the digital infrastructure of the country for the coming decades and will lead it to the Society of Gigabit.

His two initiatives OTE Group for its expansion FTTH and the immediate upgrade of gears, will make a decisive contribution to the improvement of the country's performance in the international indices, in particular to the improvement of the deviation of Greece from its average European Digital Economy and Society Index, DESI.

In terms of connectivity, the DESI index measures, inter alia, the coverage and penetration of ultra-high speeds. Already, mainly thanks to his investments OTE Group in FTTC / Vectoring, the country has jumped to the EU average of speeds of 100Mbps and above. The initiative for the free upgrade of fixed internet speeds is expected to significantly improve the country's performance in terms of penetration. In addition, the lag currently reflected in the index in terms of coverage and penetration FTTH (VHCN), is covered by the Group's huge investment that will bring fiber to 3 million households and businesses.

How will the country be covered with FTTH

The total number of lines in the country today is about 4,8 million (households and businesses). Of these, the OTE Group will cover 3 million, ie about 2/3 of the country.

Combined with the announced investments of other providers in urban areas and in the UFBB, it is estimated that the country will be covered by FTTH almost in its entirety.

FTTH Lines Coverage

OTE Group (incl. Participation in UFBB) ~ 3 million
All other providers (incl. Participation in UFBB) ~ 1,6 million
Total 4,6 million
Agricultural Networks (Rural project) with VDSL ~ 150.000

The rollout of FTTH by the OTE Group

Having already started in 2018 to pass fiber optic lines to the house, OTE Group currently has the largest FTTH network in the country, with 560.000 lines. To achieve the ambitious goal of 3 million lines by the end of 2027, it increases its investments and accelerates the roll out.

By the end of 2022, the Group is expected to cover with FTTH 1 million homes and businesses. By 2027 and the target of 3 million, the annual roll out will range between 300.000 - 500.000 lines, depending on the coverage areas and the speed of licensing by the municipalities.

The importance of covering the country with FTTH

The coverage of the country with FTTH constitutes game changer for Greece, a move that changes the data, creating the basis for sustainable development.

State-of-the-art fiber optic networks are a prerequisite for the digital transformation of the country, society and business, with an undeniable positive impact on the economy, society and the environment. Network infrastructure is a key factor in the prosperity and extroversion of businesses, but also in attracting investment, which in turn will contribute to the creation of new jobs. It is also a prerequisite for attracting digital nomads, a dynamic trend that emerged in the pandemic, but also for the brain-regain that the country so desperately needs. And everyday life, however, will change radically, as with FTTH education, health services and entertainment are being upgraded.

With FTTH infrastructure everywhere, the country is changing speed and entering a new era of growth and prosperity.

With the approval of the shareholders - added value for the investors

The significant increase of the Group's total investments to over 3 billion euros by 2027, has the approval of the main shareholder, Deutsche Telekom, and the Board of Directors of the company.

The increase in investments will be covered exclusively by equity.

This large investment, combined with boosting demand for ultra-high speed services, will enhance shareholder value as it consolidates the company's position and strengthens its competitiveness in the medium to long term.

The initiative to upgrade gears

In order to immediately enhance the penetration of high speeds, the OTE Group will upgrade, completely free of charge, the fixed internet speeds enjoyed today by COSMOTE subscribers in areas where fiber optics have not yet reached home, where this is technologically feasible.

In practice, this is a doubling of the nominal speeds, as each subscriber will be upgraded, completely free of charge, to the next commercially available speed. For example, whoever has today VDSL50, will be upgraded to VDSL100.

Whoever has 24ari program, will upgraded to 50pm. The same goes for all available packages (24, 50, 100). The only condition is that it is technologically feasible. For example, if a subscriber has chosen their trading program 50Mbps and its telephone connection gives technically a maximum available speed of 50Mbps, it will not be possible to upgrade from 50 to 100Mbps.

The free gear upgrade, if approved by EETT, will begin in the first quarter of 2022 and is expected to be completed gradually in 2022.

This period is necessary, as depending on the network technology, different actions are required (in most cases the upgrade is done automatically and remotely, in other cases it requires replacement of routers or cards, in others it requires consultation with a technician).

COSMOTE landline customers do not need to take any action.
Each customer of the company that has the possibility of free upgrade will be informed separately.

The upgrade of the gears will also benefit the potential / new COSMOTE fixed subscribers, as new, fixed programs will be commercially available, once approved by EETT. The new packages will make high speeds even more affordable.

The fixed network of the OTE Group today

With state-of-the-art technologies such as Fiber to the Home and 5G, the OTE Group meets the needs of the new digital age, opening unlimited possibilities and contributing to the creation of a world better for all. Committed to leading the digital transformation, o OTE Group is the largest investor in new technologies and infrastructure in Greece, creating the infrastructure for the Gigabit Society.

In this context, the Group currently has the largest fiber optic network in Greece, COSMOTE Fiber, which has:

Length: 45.000km.
Active cabins: 16.400
Coverage (cabins and CA): 3,4 million households & businesses
Speeds: up to 200 Mbps

At the same time, the network is developing rapidly FTTH the company's. Today, it gives access to guaranteed ultra high speeds up to 200Mbps in about 560.000 households and businesses.

The access networks are supported by OTE's state-of-the-art backbone network, which has been composed entirely of optical fibers for over 15 years. Their length exceeds 35.000 kilometers nationwide, while the main nodes of the network are connected to each other by multiple circuits of 10, 100, and 400 Gbps.

The trunk network includes the submarine cables that connect the island areas with mainland Greece, as well as its international networks. OTEGlobe, which includes the proprietary fiber optic network in Europe over 20.000 km.

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Cosmote: It will double the speeds of fixed broadband internet completely free of charge