The Government of Greece has made increased access to the new economy a priority.

It is placing a great importance on increased network infrastructure and access:

to stimulate government efficiencies,
to drive business development,
to deliver fundamental services,
to combat poverty, and
to cross social divides.

These are important goals for Greece economic development, and they are national priorities. EXPO COMM accelerates progress towards these goals, so that EXPO COMM is being organized under the official auspices of the Greece Ministry of Transportation and Communications.

EXPO COMM Southeast Europe provides introduction to buyers in the region for . . .

sales of network infrastructure and systems integration and
management.
sales to competitive networks in wireline, wireless, Internet,
satellite, CATV.
sales to OTE and regional PTTs as they advance their own
network capabilities in order to stay competitive.
sales to government and corporate broadband enterprise data
network backbone.

The complete implementation of deregulation in the Greece telecoms markets creates much opportunity, both for network infrastructure sales to new competitive telecom networks, for sales to OTE as it advances its own network capabilities in order to stay competitive, and for government and corporate broadband data network backbone.

The total telecommunications market size in Greece is estimated for 2000 at USD 7.5 billion, and is expected to reach USD 12.5 billion by 2004. This is one of the world’s most rapid growth curves. The telecoms sector has similar growth rates throughout the Balkan territory. The Greece IT equipments sector for 2000 is at USD 1.2 billion, and is expected to reach USD 2.2 billion by 2004. This also is a growth rate of 20-22% annually, showing rising demand on the end user side.

Immediately in the deregulated marketplace, there is much speculation about who will emerge to share market presence with the former state run monopoly provider, OTE.

Likely candidates are the existing mobile service providers, especially Panafon and Telestet. Fixed telephony would provide them with further room for expansion and would allow them to diversify out of a mobile market that is maturing. Network investment to take advantage of this opportunity will be significant.

The new era of deregulated telephony will see an increased diversity and specialization in advanced and enhanced services, for wireline, wireless, Internet service providers, satellite, CATV, and applications service providers. One such example is the creation and maintenance of parallel corporate telephone networks. Already, two state companies, which eventually will be at least partly privatized, the (PPC) Public Power Corporation, and Public Gas Corporation (DEPA), have announced plans to build such parallel networks. Corporate computing networking is also growing, and must be sustained by next-generation data services provided by public telecom, Internet, and wireless carrier companies

In view of deregulation a number of new companies have made their debut in the Greek market. These companies have the ultimate aim of attracting large domestic customers who have large international and long distance call traffic and complex service requirements. Competitive market entrants have already succeeded in attracting customers away from OTE as evidenced by GLOBAL ONE, UNISOURCE HELLAS, TELECOM DYNAMICS, SPACE NET, COSMOLINE, IDEAL TELECOM et. al.

These are the new carriers in the Greek and Balkans market, who are building new networks, providing a new array of advanced data and voice services, and extending network service access to new customers throughout Greece and Balkan business and society.

The Government of Greece is placing a great importance on telecoms service outreach as a means to stimulate rapid business development, to combat poverty, and to cross social divides. These are important goals for Greece economic development, and they are national priorities.

New network infrastructure for public network service providers and for enterprise-size broadband data network backbones plays a key role in these priorities for Greece’s economy.

EXPO COMM outcomes are consistent with these priorities, so much so that the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications is sponsoring and sanctioning EXPO COMM Southeast Europe as an official event of state. The Minister is inviting official delegations from throughout the Balkans to participate in a conference on policy harmonization to further accelerate information and communication technology deployment and adoption throughout the region for stimulating and sustaining economic development.

The Greek and Balkans public and private sectors are looking for ways to improve efficiency while reducing costs. The market is demanding better application of new communications networking and information technologies, through advanced broadband wireline and wireless networks and services.

All networking technology manufacturers and vendors with products and services that contribute to accelerated networking adoption and increased competitiveness of the Greece/Balkans economy will find substantial sales opportunities in this market.

EXPO COMM Southeast Europe is your opportunity to meet with the region’s new network competitors, with the incumbent network carriers, with enterprise-size broadband network managers from government and business, and with International policy leaders who recognize that information and communications technology deployment is a pathway to domestic and regional economic development.

EXPO COMM Southeast Europe is the event for wireline, wireless, Internet, and broadband backbone infrastructure and network integration/management solutions to these buyers.

EXPO COMM Southeast Europe is an event that will provide significant return on investment to you by serving as a market-building portal to this fast-growing opportunity.

© Copyright 2001, E.J. Krause & Associates, Inc.