the population has access to such services
―mainly through Nova― against an EU average
of 22%. According to the European Union, just
2.0% of Greek households had access to IP TV
services in the summer of 2009, a percentage
that is considered, by and large, very low.
However, it is not only TV services that present
telecom providers with new opportunities.
Wireless broadband and smart mobile phones
are rapidly “filling in” mobile telephony networks,
as consumers wish to enjoy internet access any-
time and anyplace. Having to cope with these
new demands, mobile operators increase their
investments in larger capacity networks. Cosmote
announced that the number of its clients that
enjoy mobile access to the Internet increased by
23% in the 4th quarter of 2010.
This market is also considered to have enough
room for growth, since, according to the
European Commission, in summer 2010 only 2%
of the country’s population could access the inter-
net through a mobile telephony network, using
data cards or USB modems.
This penetration rate is less than one third of the
European average, which was estimated at 6.1%
of the population during this period. Mobile oper-
ators are, no doubt, aware of the wireless broad-
band services’ prospects and are now focusing
on this market, while almost all commercial poli-
cies are designed to attract subscribers that use
their networks for data ―apart from voice―
transmission.
Trade with Greece
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