Of Costa Ketsietzis
The launch of the free fixed broadband internet speed upgrade program was officially announced yesterday by Cosmote, at the same time that the negotiations between OTE and the other telecommunication providers for the wholesale market are still in progress.
The initiative to double the speed of all Cosmote fixed internet connections, at no cost to subscribers, was announced last December, provoking strong reactions from other telecommunications providers, who are called upon to follow, but at an additional cost as in many In some cases, they are OTE wholesale customers.
The main problem is located in the upgrade of adsl links with download speeds “up to 24 Mbps” to vdsl with a speed of 50 Mbps, which require field work.
According to information, this cost normally amounts to 32 euros, which the other providers of OTE wholesale customers will have to shoulder if they want to follow the upgrade.
Thus, negotiations began to reduce this cost for OTE’s wholesale customers on the grounds that the connection upgrades will be done en masse.
As a characteristically stated factor of the telecommunication market, in order for the increase of the speeds to have an effect for the country as a whole, there must be a “drastic reduction of the prices on the part of OTE”.
According to other market sources, drastic cost reduction is the only way to avoid distorting competition and to give all providers the opportunity to upgrade their subscriber connections.
In this context, according to information, OTE sent to the other providers a proposal for special prices for mass transport connections, which, however, did not satisfy the companies in the sector.
However, speaking to analysts about the results of the fourth quarter of 2021 last month, the president and CEO of OTE, Michalis Tsamaz, appeared optimistic that there will be a satisfactory agreement for all parties.
How to upgrade connections
The upgrade process is progressing gradually, as the necessary approvals must be obtained from the National Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT), according to information, about 30% of the programs submitted for approval have been approved, but the process has been temporarily frozen until to officially appoint the new members of the Plenary Session of EETT, as the term of office of the previous members has expired.
Cosmote fixed subscribers, home and corporate, who are technically upgradable, will be transferred to the next commercially available Internet speed, maintaining the same price.
In particular, subscribers with economical speed plans up to 24Mbps, up to 50Mbps and up to 100Mbps, will be upgraded to speeds up to 50Mbps, up to 100Mbps and up to 200Mbps respectively, without taking any action and without any change in the term of their contract or monthly fee.
The upgrade will take place depending on each connection either automatically and remotely, or in some cases after technical implementation and communication with subscribers.
The subscribers to whom the upgrade is possible, will be informed, immediately after its completion, through the fixed account, the My COSMOTE App and via sms.
Source: Capital
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
