The telecommunications Operator NEXERA, which builds and makes available a modern access fibre-optic network in the wholesale model, increases its capital. As a result, the Warsaw-based company joined the largest group of telecommunications operators in the country. The capital increase is related to the expansion and commercialisation of the fibre-optic network which to the end of the year 2021 will include more than half a million households in 4 regions of Poland.

NEXERA, the first wholesale operator of a large scale access fibre-optic network in Poland, increases its capital. In February, the operator’s share capital will exceed PLN 100 million. Thus, it will be among the ten largest telecommunications companies in Poland in terms of capital held.

“The painstaking work last year means that we operate now in full operating mode and we’re prepared to achieve large scale business. Increasing capital helps us to maintain the dynamic growth rate and the level of PLN 100 million is particularly important for the company, which symbolic date of founding was June 2017, i.e. one and a half years ago” says Jacek Wisniewski, President of the NEXERA Management Board and he adds “The past year was above all time of intensive construction of our access network. Work was carried out simultaneously in all 14 Operational Program Digital Poland areas in which NEXERA won competitions in 2017 and 2018. We managed to build a solid foundation for the commercialisation of our network in 2019. This year we also want to bring fibre-optics to other households and businesses, eliminating Internet "white spots" on the map of Poland” says Jacek Wisniewski.

In 2018, NEXERA managed to achieve readiness to provide services in selected areas. Ultimately, within the NEXERA network, there will be over 0.5 million households in over 73 counties and cities with county rights. From these areas, as many as 300 thousand households will gain access to broadband Internet in the framework of the Operational Program Poland Digital. This is particularly important information for retail operators who, thanks to wholesale access to the NEXERA network, can develop their businesses. The company directed by Jacek Wisniewski has already signed the first agreement last year. Among the 5 operators who make up the current NEXERA customer base two are nationwide — Orange Poland and T-Mobile Poland and three currently operating locally. Here we are referring to the companies i-Tel and E-Punkt Systemy Informatyczne from the Świętokrzyskie Province and RFC based in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province.

Thanks to winning the tender organised by NASK at the beginning of 2018 for the supply of links for the Nationwide Education Network (Ogólnopolska Sieć Edukacyjna – OSE) in Łódź and the Swietokrzyskie and Warmia and Mazury regions, NEXERA also signed a long-term contract for the provision of data transmission services for the Nationwide Education Network to schools in these regions. The company is responsible for enabling the connection of local educational institutions to high-speed Internet with a symmetric bandwidth of 100Mb/s. Last year, the first wholesale services were launched and are available in more than 500 educational facilities. This year the operator will finalise the process of launching services for schools. Thus, as many as 2,600 schools from more than 70 counties will be able to access the Internet thanks to fast and stable fibre-optic links.

*The rapid pace of signing contracts with operators while still in the process of building a network is the result of our flexible wholesale offer, which we are proud of. This is combined with the fact that as the first OPDD 2 beneficiary, the Regulator approved our Wholesale Offer and Price List for data communication services in schools” says Paweł Biarda, Member of the NEXERA Management Board for Sales and Business Development. “This also the effect of the hard work of our entire team” *he added.

In 2018, NEXERA built an installation with a total length of over 6 thousand kilometres and a greater part of it was installed overhead – on power or telecommunications poles. The construction works included the development of the active part of the NEXERA network infrastructure. “In 1,650 locations were installed active devices (CPE), more than 1,100 street cabinets and in them more than 900 OLT (Optical Line Terminal) devices and almost 200 ION (IP/Optical Network) devices. These devices manage the data flow in our networks in all 14 areas. In each of them we launched an aggregation point (traffic exchange) for data transfer service to schools (PWR) and an access point to the BSA (PDU BSA) services” explains David Leverett, Member of the NEXERA Management Board for Planning and Building the Network, and adds “This year we intend to cover with our network also over 2,600 schools that will receive access to high-speed Internet thanks to the Nationwide Education Network.

Last year in selected NEXERA locations, in conjunction with retail operators, we conducted network and service tests. The tests were positive and in the autumn of 2018 the first commercial services were launched. In the coming months, the company will focus on expanding the network to subsequent households and enterprises as well as the commercialisation of its infrastructure.

“The first service is also the first income. Although the funds for the implementation of our project is given to us by shareholders and the financing is ensured by international and domestic banks, the impact of income in 2018 is a pleasant prelude before the subsequent years.” says Paweł Hordyński, Member of the NEXERA Management Board for Finance.

The year 2019 will also be for NEXERA a time of intensive education and communication activities, directed mainly to inhabitants in 4 regions. They will be able to learn about the benefits of high-speed Internet access at home and at work as well as why it is worth selecting services provided on the modern fibre-optic infrastructure of the wholesale operator.