MADRID, July 24 (Reuters) - Spanish telecoms group Jazztel is expanding its fibre optic network investment, sayingon Thursday it aimed to connect 7 million homes, a target whichwould bring it closer to the scale of offerings from Telefonica and Vodafone.
The company said it would detail the new plan by the end ofthe year and aimed to have 2.2 million homes connected to itsFibre To The Home (FTTH) network by the end of July, on courseto meet by year end its original target of 3 million homesconnected.
Telefonica plans to connect 10 million homes to its ownfibre network by year-end, while Vodafone has acquired cablefirm Ono, which already connects 7 million homes.
Vodafone said on Wednesday it would keep building up itsnetwork, adding a further 2 million homes through a partnershipwith Orange which also foresees the possibility for theFrench company to access the Ono network on a wholesale basisfor another 1 million homes.
Many analysts bet on a tie-up between Orange and Jazztel,Spain's third- and fourth-biggest operators, as the only way forthe two companies to compete better with heavyweights Telefonicaand Vodafone. (Reporting by Julien Toyer; Editing by David Holmes)
Vodafone (VOD)