CyTA has accelerated its expansion plans abroad, targeting both markets where there is a significant Greek Cypriot presence as well as emerging markets in east Europe that provide a lot of room for expansion.
CyTA Chairman Stavros Kremmos told the Financial Mirror that following the operational launch of CyTA UK, the Cypriot telecom is now rushing plans for the wholesale offering of services through CyTA Hellas SA and also through its investment in ACTEL, a telecom company based in Hungary in which CyTA subsidiary Digimed Communications has a 80% stake.
Kremmos said that in Hungary, ACTEL will aim to provide triple play services (voice, Internet and cable TV), which is expected to commence operations in March 2006.
“We hope to expand the concept to other countries in the region,” said Kremmos.
CyTA UK
CyTA UK Chairman Doros Ktorides, who is also a member of the Board of CyTA said during a presentation that CyTA UK has designed a comprehensive product based on the IP-MPLS platform, allowing for the transfer of voice, video and data through a single integrated, secure broadband network, and customised by exact definition of the capacity required.
“We are targeting both the households as well as the business customers, offering competitive rates using our direct lines connecting the UK with Greece and Cyprus,” said Ktorides, adding that CyTA UK has been in operation since 2003 but was selling its services wholesale. “Now we decided it was time to enter the retail market.”
By using CyTA’s cabling link between the UK, Greece and Cyprus, the group aims to play an active role in not only winning business from the Cypriot and Greek Diaspora in the UK, but also from the traffic between the three countries.
The result of this strategy was the decision to establish subsidiary companies abroad, through Digimed Communications Ltd.
CytaHellas SA has been established in Greece on 5 November 2003, in order to expand CYTA’s operations in the Greek market, initially targeting corporate customers, ISPs and other telecommunications providers, by providing end-to-end total solutions and wholesale products, said CyTA Hellas Chairman Pambos Papageorgiou who is also a CyTA Board member.
In association with CyTA and CytaUK, CytaHellas has established a state-of-the-art private cable network between Cyprus, Greece and the UK, which is being promoted globally, under the commercial name CytaWorld.Net, said CyTA Managing Director Nicos Timotheou.
In January 2004, CytaHellas was granted a general license for providing telecommunication services in Greece.
MOBILE
CyTA is also rushing through plans to offer extended services to Cypriot students studying abroad, first targeting those in the UK and then Greece and other countries.
Plans are under way to allow Cypriot students to use their mobile phones to talk back home. By using its direct cable link between the UK and Greece, CyTA also aims to tap the Greek students in the UK.
Meanwhile CyTA Chairman Stavros Kremmos revealed that very soon CyTA mobile customers in the UK and Greece will be able to use their phones and enjoy CyTA’s competitive rates, as opposed to the norm of being charged very high rates, most of which end up with the international player offering the connection in the host country.
