T-MOBILE AND CETIN WILL BUILD COMMON STATE-OF-THE-ART FIBER INFRASTRUCTURE FOR HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF HOUSEHOLDS AND BUSINESSES

• Co-investment project will use the most advanced network with full fiber-to-the-home “FTTH” GPON technology

Prague, December 17, 2020 – The representatives of T-Mobile Czech Republic and CETIN, signed the contract on the joint co-investment project, aiming at covering hundreds of thousands of households and businesses to the fastest fibre network within the next years, in addition to the ongoing large-scale individual construction projects on both companies. The infrastructure built will be available to all customers in the area of coverage, either directly by T-Mobile or through the commercial wholesale partners of CETIN.

Czech Republic is among the countries with first-class mobile networks. On the other hand, the coverage of next generation fibre networks is so far insufficient, which is a significant impediment to the digitalization of the economy and to enable a real Gigabit society. According to the DESI index, high capacity fixed networks, including optics, are available to only 29% of households, significantly below the average of the EU countries. T-Mobile Czech Republic and CETIN are aware of this situation and have decided to make a significant contribution to the development of “fibre” coverage.

“Czech Republic deserves much better coverage of ‘true fibre’ infrastructure. It is critical to secure the competitiveness of the country in the new digital era. This Corona times have shown us the relevance of high-quality internet. We are committed to bring our customers the best services and customer experience, as soon as possible,” says José Perdomo Lorenzo, CEO of T-Mobile Czech Republic and Slovak Telekom.

Both parties are convinced that the co-investment project will increase the coverage and drive a more rapid deployment of FTTH, beyond what each company could achieve individually. The cooperation will enable both companies to cover areas which partially or entirely lack optical infrastructure and where both partners would have otherwise likely not invested independently in a foreseeable future. T-Mobile does not rely only on its own construction to expand the coverage of the optical network but is open to various forms of cooperation with partners. Currently T-Mobile cooperates with almost 30 partners.

The cooperation will be beneficial for all, for the country, for the environment, and for the competitive environment, and it will achieve significant synergies. “We are deploying the infrastructure of the country for the next ‘100 years’. It takes significant investment, construction capacity, building permits, etc., … a joint project is a logical solution. We are very reliable partners, very committed, and we can it make more efficient, faster,” indicated José Perdomo Lorenzo.

T-Mobile Czech Republic, a member of the international telecommunications group Deutsche Telekom, has almost 6.2 million customers, the number-one operator in the Czech market. T-Mobile is an integrated operator: in addition to telecommunications services, it offers comprehensive ICT solutions not only for companies, but also for other organizations and individuals. It provides outstanding services in the high-speed network, which was proved repeatedly by benchmark testing performed by umlaut (former P3) with Best-in-Test seal.

T-Mobile Czech Republic places emphasis on taking a responsible approach to the environment and society. It adheres to fair business practices, helps beneficial applications and services to see the light of day, supports non-profit organizations, small businesses and individuals, and lends a helping hand whenever crisis situations arise. The company’s employees serve as volunteers in many places across the entire Czech Republic.

More information about the company is available at www.t-mobile.cz, www.t-press.cz (the portal for journalists) and www.t-mobile.cz/pomahame (information on the company’s CSR activities).

Contact details of the press unit: press@t-press.cz.