The Spanish telecom giant Telefónica has affirmed its commitment to the Czech Republic, stating that it does not intend to reduce its presence in the Central European country...
The Spanish telecom giant Telefónica has affirmed its commitment to the Czech Republic, stating that it does not intend to reduce its presence in the Central European country. Rumours had previously circulated that the group was planning to sell shares in its Czech O2 operations.
Chinese firms were being seen as likely potential replacements for Telefónica’s presence in the Czech Republic, with sources suggesting that one such candidate would adopt the O2 brand within 2 years, by which time the Spanish group would have exited the market.
Quashing this speculation, Telefónica has announced significant investment in the country which will eventually encompass a business incubator as well as a data centre to be launched in Central Bohemia. The firm has also announced its intention to “participate in the [Czech] LTE tender”.
Telefónica also announced that its 3G network has been augmented faster than originally scheduled, with deployment goals for the whole of 2011 in fact surpassed in October. The network now extends to around 70% of the country’s population, and coverage will be bolstered in 2012 with the planned introduction of a further 100 transmitting stations by the end of 2011, according to Telefónica Czech Republic operations director Petr Slovácek.
