Lithuania: highest FTTH penetration in Europe
In 2014, Lithuania’s FTTH penetration was the highest in Europe for the sixth consecutive year, according to the FTTH Council Europe. Penetration was up three percentage points from 2013 at 34.6%. Globally, Lithuania’s FTTH penetration ranked eighth highest. To make a comparison with other Baltic States, Latvia came in third in Europe, with a 29% penetration rate, while Estonia was thirteenth with 12% of households using fibre-optic internet.
Apple invests €1.7 bn in European data centres
Apple has announced a €1.7 billion plan to build and operate two 166,000 m2 data centres in Europe. These will be operation in 2017. The facilities, located in Ireland and Denmark, will power Apple’s online services for customers across Europe.
The data centres are to be powered by 100% renewable energy. Apple plans to work with local partners to develop additional renewable energy projects to provide power in the future. The Danish facility will be located adjacent to one of Denmark’s largest electrical substations and its excess heat will be sent to the local district heating system.
Telecom Italia makes big leaps in fibre
Italy plans to deploy a minimum of 100Mb/s broadband to 85% of the country by 2020 and guarantees that the remaining 15% will have access to at least 30Mb/s service by that time. Telecom Italia (TI) will be mainly using its own financial resources to provide FTTH services to 40 of Italy’s biggest cities over the next two years. Once the network is complete, speeds may be boosted to 1Gb/s.
Telecom Italia has approved its 2015-2017 industrial plan, which entails an overall €10bn investment in Italy. Telecom Italia (TI) has approved its 2015-2017 industrial plan, which entails an overall €10bn investment in Italy. €5bn will be for innovation, marking a € 1.5bn increase year-on-year. €2.9bn is reserved for fixed-line ultra-broadband with optic fibre; €900mn for mobile ultra-broadband; €500mn for new data centres to support cloud services and innovation of IT systems; €200mn to develop international fibre optic connections and €500mn to simplify and upgrade infrastructures for structural cost reduction.
80,000km of fibre optic for Paris metro
Telcité, a subsidiary of RATP, has installed 80,000 kilometres of fibre optic cabling in the Paris metro and suburban rail network. Telecité started work on this installation project in 1997. The cables, located under platforms or rails alongside electricity and signalling cables, are rented out to clients such as large telecoms firms and companies that want to link to data centres. All new stations are being equipped with such cables and Telcité aims to continue with the future Greater Paris network project.
Save the Children and Prysmian: our achievement in Ethiopia
Prysmian Group’s donation to NGO Save the Children is providing children and mothers in remote villages with access to medical services. Two 24/7 healthcare facilities in the Burji and Amaro districts have now been built to improve infant life expectancy thanks to our contribution to the Enaate project. This is part of a wider three-year project involving five Districts.
Around 1,000 children under five and their mothers can now receive care, vaccines, and assistance in case of malnutrition. In addition, childbirths are assisted by qualified staff. Community health workers promote vaccination campaigns and raise awareness among inhabitants of the village about the presence of the Health Posts, and the benefits that these facilities can have on their daily lives.
New investments and agreements in Romania
A Memorandum of Understanding has been drawn up between Prysmian, Romanian Transmission and System Operator Transelectric, Unicredit Bank and law firm Tonucci & Partners. The agreement covers the study of a submarine connection between Romania and Turkey and two new major industrial investments worth some € 30 million.
The memorandum is aimed at supporting development of the region’s energy sector, offering Romanian power suppliers the opportunity to export surplus to third party countries. With 5 plants and 1400 employees, Prysmian Group has a long-lasting presence in Romania and the Danube region.
The new investments are part of a development plan started in 2013 with an initial investment of € 20 million and a new optical cable plant in Slatina. The new facility pioneers the development of high voltage cable and systems technology in Romania and will leverage locally developed resources.
Virgin Media announces £3 bn fibre rollout plan
UK cable operator Virgin Media will invest an additional £ 3 billion in ‘Project Lighting’, with support from parent company Liberty Global. This will bring 152 Mb/s download speeds to 4 million additional UK homes and businesses over the next five years. By 2020, the total number of premises served will have reached 17 million.
Network expansion will be prioritised according to demand from households and companies, focusing on areas closest to Virgin Media’s existing network. The network expansion programme is expected to create 6,000 new UK jobs with Virgin Media and its construction partners.
Revamped national broadband plan for Brazil
Internet speeds in Brazil generally lag behind rest of the world. A study carried out by Akamai last year showed global average broadband speed went up 21% in the second quarter of 2014, while average Internet speed in Brazil has gone up by 11 %.
Brazil’s Communications Minister Ricardo Berzoini has stated that his team is working on a new broadband plan to deliver faster broadband to the largest possible number of people at a lower cost. The plan includes more government investments and creation of synergies between the public and private sector.
IoT growth
A study for Verizon carried out by ABI Research shows the Internet of Things (IoT) market is likely to experience strong growth. By 2020, the number of global connections is expected to have risen to 5.4 billion, up from 1.2 billion devices today. According to Verizon, organisations that extensively use IoT technologies in their products and operations will be up to 10% more profitable by 2025.
Prysmian FY 2014 results, profit targets achieved
“Our Group’s performance in 2014 confirms signs of a slight recovery in sales volumes, accompanied by a generally stable level of profitability,” commented CEO Valerio Battista. Net financial position at the end of December 2014 amounted to €802 million (€805 million in 2013), well ahead of expectations.
The Group continued its strategy of focusing investments on high value-added businesses, of constantly reducing costs and continuously improving the efficiency of its organisational structure and manufacturing footprint. Synergies arising from the integration with Draka amounted to approximately €140 million, in line with target.
FY 2014 Results
| Sales | €6,840 Million (Organic Growth +1.8% vs 2013; +2.7% Excl. Western Link) |
| ADJ EBITDA | €509 Million (-17.0% vs 2013); €603 Million Excl. Western Link (-1.6% vs 2013) |
| ADJ Operating Income | €365 Million (-21.5% vs 2013); €459 Million Excl. West. Link (-1.3% vs 2013) |
| ADJ Net Profit | €186 Million (-32.0% vs 2013); €252 Million Excl. Western Link (-6.3% vs 2013) |
| Net Financial Position | €802 Million (€805 Million At 31/12/2013) |
