The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Cellnex, a European telecom infrastructure provider, have inked a Euros 315 million finance contract to support the development of mobile telecoms infrastructure for 5G rollouts across five European countries. According to the official release, the partnership aims to drive the digital transition in both urban and rural areas of Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, and Poland by mobilizing a total investment of Euros 631 million.
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Key Focus of the Infrastructure Initiative
This digital transition project will focus on improving and expanding the coverage and capacity of high-bandwidth mobile network infrastructure, laying the foundation for the seamless deployment of 5G technology.
Key components of the initiative include the installation of new mobile phone masts and urban base stations, optimizing infrastructure for multi-operator usage, deploying fibre connectivity to interconnect towers, and implementing distributed antenna systems to enhance base station capacity.
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Renewable Energies for a Greener Network
According to the official release, the agreement also highlights the commitment to sustainable practices, integrating renewable energies and energy-efficient measures in selected base stations to reduce carbon emissions and minimize the ecological footprint of the network.
Open-Access Model
Cellnex stated that the project is an example of Cellnex's open-access business model, which promotes the sharing of base stations among multiple operators. This model facilitates cost-effective infrastructure deployment without compromising on network bandwidth or coverage, resulting in enhanced digital services for end-users.
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Narrowing the Digital gap
Approximately 50 percent of the newly deployed masts will be concentrated in cohesion regions, where per capita income falls below 75 percent of the EU average. According to the joint statement, this strategic approach aims to foster economic growth, generate socio-economic benefits, and narrow the digital gap in underserved areas.
Second Collaboration between EIB and Cellnex
The signing of this agreement marks the second collaborative effort between the EIB and Cellnex to drive the expansion of mobile telecoms infrastructure within Europe. The loan agreement was formalized during a signing ceremony in Barcelona, attended by EIB Vice-President and Cellnex Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Development Director.
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Cellnex Portfolio
According to the website, Cellnex manages a portfolio of around 135,000 sites, including forecast rollouts up to 2030 in Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal, Austria, Denmark, Sweden and Poland.
