The European Investment Bank (EIB) has agreed to provide Reggefiber with EUR 125 million. Another six commercial banks will provide EUR 125 million more, leading to a total facility size of EUR 250 million.
The Dutch fibre operator will use the money to expand its optical fibre network to an additional 50 municipalities across the Netherlands and construct a dedicated ultra-high-speed FttH network, with possible up and download speeds of up to 1Gbps, open for access by all operators. Work is expected to be completed in 2015.
In 2010, the EIB provided EUR 142.5 million for the initial roll out of Reggefiber services to 33 Dutch municipalities as part of a total facility of EUR 285 million. That money, the new ten-year facility, and the extra money provided by ABN Amro, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank, ING, Rabobank and RBS, will allow the operator to connect 1 million households to its FTTH network. Reggefiber financial director Jan van Rooijen said that the company currently builds FTTH to more than 300,000 homes per year.
In 2011, the EIB invested EUR 4 billion into expanding the European internet infrastructure.
