THE POPULARITY OF BROADBAND INTERNET IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC INCREASED IN 2005
9.1.2006
During the first week in January, the number of ADSL-based broadband Internet subscribers in the Czech Republic reached 275 thousand, which represents an increase of 175 percent in comparison with last year. New services, reduced prices, expanded coverage and continuous development of data technologies has supported this record growth of customers."Broadband Internet has become a regular fixture in Czech households. In this respect, we are swiftly closing the gap between ourselves and the older countries of the European Union, where this type of connection is very widespread," says Martin Žabka, the company’s spokesperson. According to the latest statistics from analytical company Point Topic, among 12 monitored European states, domestic broadband (ADSL) Internet penetration (per 100 households) has grown the fastest in the Czech Republic (118% year-on-year growth). At the same time, the survey revealed that growth was also apparent in other Central and Eastern European countries, with Slovakia (112%) and Romania (92%) placing next in the rankings.
"In 2005, ČESKÝ TELECOM facilitated broadband Internet access considerably," adds Mr. Žabka. While it 2004 it was not possible to meet the demands of customers who were more than 3.8 kilometres from a telephone exchange, at the end of the year, thanks to an improved network, the required distance was extended to 8.2 kilometres. "Over the last year, the Internet has really been available to everybody. Even your average villager doesn’t have to leave home to get acquainted with the entire world," says Žabka with a hint of exaggeration.
Over the last twelve months, ČESKÝ TELECOM has made broadband Internet available in 453 new localities, which, in comparison with 2004, means an increase of nearly 106%. In total, O2 Internet Expres is available in 1717 localities and its coverage is available to 90% of all of the operator’s customers.
"Over the next few months, we expect to extend the coverage of our broadband connections further and to improve the quality of our services. ČESKÝ TELECOM’s long-term goal is to make sure that the maximum number of Czech citizens can use the O2 Internet Expres service and to ensure that the O2 Internet Expres service remains the best choice on the broadband Internet access market," Žabka says of the firm\'s orientation.
Martin Zabka
Spokesperson
ČESKÝ TELECOM, a. s., member of the Telefónica Group is the leading telecommunications company in the Czech Republic. Through its subsidiary company Eurotel Praha, spol. s r.o., it also has a significant presence in the Czech mobile services market. Further information about the firm and the services it offers is available at www.telecom.cz, which was rated as BestWeb 2003 in the WebTop100 survey.
Signum Temporis has consistently awarded
ČESKÝ TELECOM ranks among the most prominent firms on the Czech capital market in terms of capitalization and trading volumes. Its shares are also traded on the London Stock Exchange in the form of GDRs. ČESKÝ TELECOM\'s credit rating is the highest a Czech corporation can receive from top international rating agencies.
Telefónica
Telefónica is one of the largest telecommunications operator in the world in terms of market capitalisation. Its activities are centered mainly on the fixed and mobile telephony businesses with broadband as the key tool for the development of both of these. Telefónica has a significant presence in 17 countries and a customer base that amounts to more than 145 million accesses. Telefonica has a strong presence in Latin America, where the company concentrates part of its growth strategy.
Telefónica is a 100% listed company, with more than 1.5 million direct shareholders. Its share capital currently comprises 4,921,130,397 ordinary shares traded on the Spanish Stock Market (Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia) and on those in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Tokyo, New York, Lima, Buenos Aires and São Paulo.
