Telefonica has announced plans to bring fibre-optic connections to the entire Spanish population, including all localities with less than 5,000 inhabitants, within the next 5 years. “Movistar plans to reach 100 percent of Spanish citizens in 2024,” said the company in a blog post entitled “Internet for all, breaking the digital divide in rural areas”. The company already has the largest FTTH network in Europe, reaching 21.8 million Spanish premises at the end of March, with its own retail fibre accesses up 13 percent year on year to over 4 million. It also recently announced plans to close over 1,200 ADSL exchanges that are no longer in use by 2024 due to the rapid expansion of its FTTH network.
In the meantime, Telefonica said alternative technologies such as WiMax and satellite-based systems can be used to reach digital divide areas, albeit at significantly lower speeds of 20-50Mbps. The operator has also begun testing the viability of using 5G fixed wireless access technology as an alternative to fibre in underserved rural parts of Galicia.
