UPC Poland to extend reach by half a million via open fibre net

Liberty Global-owned UPC Poland is using open fibre network Fiberhost, owned by rival cable operator INEA, to expand its reach in the country by around half a million homes.

The announcement of the network expansion follows an agreement between UPC and INEA in December covering the provision of wholesale services in areas covered by the government-sponsored POPC2 and POPC3 (Programu Operacyjnego Polska Cyfrowa) fibre builds.

UPC will use networks build under as part of POPC3 to make its services available to an additional 548,000 homes in the Dolnośląskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Lubelskie, Łódź, Mazowieckie, Śląskie, Małopolskie and Opolskie regions. The company will also use other POPC networks to further expand its reach in the future.

UPC is the first network operator to sign a contract for the use of the Fiberhost open networks as they are built out.

UPC said it would keep customers informed about the availability of services as the networks are built out and put into operation.

“Cooperation with INEA, to which the Fiberhost brand belongs, is one way to reach additional Polish families with super-fast internet, integrated television entertainment and UPC mobile services. In total, thanks to already signed access agreements to the POPC network, the range of our services will increase by another 1.7 million households in Poland,” said Robert Redeleanu, president of UPC Poland.

“Recently, everyone has found out how important broadband internet access is. In many places in our country, residents still do not have access to digital services. Thanks to our investments, that will change soon,” said MichałBartkowiak, president of INEA.

“However, without service providers, even the best telecommunications infrastructure is not worth much. That is why I am very happy with the agreement with UPC Polska. They are an important business partner for us and a brand recognised throughout the country through which advanced services are offered. At the same time, for Fiberhost this is a very important moment, because with the start of this project and the contract we have just signed, we are expanding our activities outside of Wielkopolska [the west-central Polish region that is INEA’s base].”