KfW IPEX-Bank finances investments in Europe’s telecommunications infrastructures

KfW IPEX-Bank provides a EUR 150 million loan to finance part of the investment programme of French telecommunications operator Iliad S.A. This financing will be used to support the rollout of Next Generations Networks in France and to broaden mobile networks in Italy.

Serving 23 million customers, the Paris-based, publicly listed company is one of the leading telecommunication operators in France. With its brand “Free”, Iliad has been taking on a pioneering role in the French telecommunications market on the Broadband and Ultra Fast Broadband segment with the Freebox, the first triple-play box (combining landline, broadband and IPTV) and on the Mobile market since 2012. Since May 2018, the company has also been active as the fourth mobile operator in Italy under the Iliad brand and had over 3.3 million subscribers at end-March 2019.

France is planning to quickly improve nationwide access to its internet and mobile communications networks. A government project, France Très Haut Débit, intends to provide to all French households access to ultra-fast internet primarily via fibre optics connections by 2022.

The financing from KfW IPEX-Bank will support Iliad S.A. in further expanding a strong communications infrastructure in both France and Italy, which will contribute in turn to the expansion of Europe’s digital infrastructure.

About Iliad:
Iliad is currently France's leading alternative FTTH operator, with over one million subscribers, and aims to have some 30 million connectible sockets by 2024 covering the whole of France and to have over 4,5 million fiber subscribers.