Telekom gives a vote of confidence in the Greek economy and its prospects
The investment plan of more than 3.0 billion euros continues strongly, including, among other things, the development of state-of-the-art telecommunications infrastructure, such as fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) networks and 5G.
Asked about the imminent change of management of OTE Group, Leroy underlined that Michalis Tsamaz had a decisive role in the transformation of the country's largest telecommunications provider, noting at the same time that it was very important that an excellent executive has been prepared to succeed him. Kosta Nebis, who takes over the management of OTE Group from July 1, transformed the Croatian Hrvatski Telekom by successfully persuading the Telekom group to invest in Croatia. It will bring a different management style but there will be continuity in strategy, the head of Telekom's European operations pointed out.
Leroy stated that she is impressed with Greece's progress, which is taking place after the 10-year crisis, stressing the large investments as well as the digital transition of the country which precedes other countries. She even made a special reference to the gov.gr services of the Ministry of Digital Governance and the AI digital assistant mAIgov.
Referring to Telekom's plans for Greece, Leroy emphasised that she intends to retain the plan for the development of telecommunications infrastructure, essentially referring to the further expansion of the fiber optic network to the home (FTTH), but also to the 5G network. Regarding 5G, COSMOTE has completed the upgrade of the 5th generation mobile network infrastructure to 5G Stand-Alone (SA), with Greece being one of the first countries of the group to implement it, and will soon proceed with the commercial launch, offering new, innovative services to customers.
However, the utilisation of the FTTH network by Greek consumers and businesses is one of the challenges that the OTE group has to face in the Greek market, with Leroy stressing that demand subsidy actions, such as Smart Readiness and the future Gigabit Voucher, will make a significant contribution. For Telekom, however, the OTE Group's initiative to promote a new wholesale model in FTTH is also important, as it can give discounts of up to 30% between providers, based on the volume of connections, and could lead to further reduction in retail prices.
