INEA

Enhancing rural connectivity

Overview

INEA is a leading telecommunications infrastructure owner and operator in Western Poland – offering broadband, fixed and mobile telephony services to households and businesses.

Since 2018, MAM has supported INEA as it has developed its network infrastructure and expanded connectivity in rural areas.

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Sector	Infrastructure
Sub-sector	Digital
Invested	2018 - Present

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Location	Western Poland

Bridging the digital divide

As technology becomes ever more important to everyday life and work, the development of high capacity digital infrastructure has become a key priority for communities the world over. To ensure everyone can benefit from the world’s increasingly digital economy, it is important that the needs of rural areas are served in line with those of urban centres.

Across the European Union, approximately 39 per cent of the population are currently covered by fibre technology¹. To date, much of the fibre deployment has been focused in urban centres, with many rural communities falling behind². In Poland, this has meant that only 20 per cent of premises in rural areas are currently covered by fibre technology¹.

INEA plans to double its network size in the coming years

Driving growth

In 2018, a MAM-managed fund acquired INEA. Since then, MAM has worked in partnership with INEA’s management team to support its growth ambitions – seeking to expand its 7,000-kilometre backbone fibre network and high-quality last mile fibre network passing 650,000 homes and businesses.

During MAM’s stewardship, INEA has won more than half of the tenders issued by the Polish government to enhance rural connectivity. INEA plans to double the size of its network in the coming years, connecting a further 615,000 premises to fibre network infrastructure. This initiative aims to bridge the digital divide by bringing the world’s fastest internet speeds to households and businesses in rural areas of Western Poland.

Importantly, this network expansion will see approximately 2,000 schools connected to INEA’s network – enabling teachers and students to better utilise digital learning resources and advance educational outcomes.

Connecting communities

“Connectivity is key to promoting digital inclusion. Through our investment in INEA, we are helping to ensure that all Polish people – irrespective of where they live – have the opportunity to benefit from the growing digital economy.”

Cord von Lewinski, Managing Director

INEA sees competition as key to increasing fibre take-up

Increasing competition

MAM is actively supporting INEA in its efforts to unlock more competitive internet pricing for Polish consumers.

A key element of INEA’s strategy involves increasing third-party access to its network infrastructure. By creating a wholesale fibre network, INEA will enable both established and challenger internet service providers to offer their products to consumers in locations where they currently do not have their own infrastructure.

In offering an alternative source of fibre capacity to these internet service providers, INEA is seeking to support greater competition and price transparency for consumers. In doing so, INEA hopes it will encourage the take-up of fibre broadband services – underpinning growth and innovation in the region.

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