The European Investment Bank (EIB) has granted a new EUR 300 million loan to Iliad, now Europe's sixth-largest mobile operator, to expand the rollout of its 5G network in France. This brings the total financing provided to Iliad to over EUR 1.7 billion since 2009. The EIB is renewing its support for the telco's 5G mobile telecom networks, in parallel to the financing already granted for fiber network rollouts.
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Financing for Fiber and 5G
According to the official release, this latest financial commitment follows the EUR 300 million loan set up in December 2022 to finance Iliad's fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network rollouts in France. The Iliad Group reportedly reinvests more than 30 percent of its revenues in network expansion, averaging a cumulative amount of over EUR 7.6 billion over the last five years.
With this agreement, Iliad Group, boasting around 38 million mobile subscribers, has strengthened its position as France's leading 5G operator in terms of active sites, said the official release.
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Iliad's 5G coverage
Iliad's 5G coverage in France now extends to over 94.4 percent of the population, with almost 15 million mobile subscribers across the country, including 11 million on the 45/5G Free Mobile Plan.
"This financing transaction - the seventh loan granted to Iliad SA by the EIB since 2009 - reaffirms the strength of the long-standing relationship between our two groups, not only in France but also in Poland via our subsidiary Play since the beginning of 2022. We're delighted to be continuing our partnership with the EIB, which will enable us to pursue our ambitious objectives of rolling out and densifying our mobile networks in France so we can provide the best connectivity to our subscribers," said Iliad Group.
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Financing LMT's 5G Rollout in Latvia
This latest investment will enable Iliad Group to accelerate its 5G network rollouts and strengthen the network infrastructure, said the EIB. As reported by TelecomTalk, EIB has recently inked an agreement with Latvian Operator LMT to finance the 5G rollout of the operator. More information can be read from the link above.
