Digital infrastructure provider GlobalConnect Group strengthens its presence in Northern Europe when it enters the Finnish fiber to the home market. Last year, the company started a pilot project for the sale of fiber optic connections in the capital region. The pilot project was successful, and the company gained several thousand Finnish customers in a short time. GlobalConnect intends to further expand its operations in Finland and its goal is to gain 30,000 new customers during 2023.
GlobalConnect quietly began its operations in the Finnish fiber-to-the-home market last year. After a successful pilot phase, the company has decided to establish its operations in Finland and also to expand. There is room for new operators, as Finland has the lowest coverage of fiber optic connections in the Nordic countries, only 40%. In Sweden, the penetration rate is 93%, in Norway and Denmark 70%.
Untapped potential
"We have been following the Finnish market for a long time and we are very happy that we can finally bring our full fiber optic offering to Finland as well. We see a lot of untapped potential here," says GlobalConnect Group CEO Martin Lippert and continues: "Expanding to Finland fits our strategy well, because we want to utilize our existing fiber optic network as much as possible. In addition to strong and versatile business services, we now also offer fiber-to-the-home services in all our operating countries. Thanks to this, both consumers, companies and organizations can benefit from our extensive fiber optic network and related services."
GlobalConnect is already operating in Finland in the market of optical fiber solutions intended for companies. It also offers fiber-to-the-home connections in Åland under the name IP Connect. The company plans to use its experience from extensive fiber optic projects in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Northern Germany in its expansion to Finland.
Strong expansion plans
"Finland has a well-developed mobile network, which is why many people depend on mobile-based broadband solutions. We believe that optical fiber is now and in the future the best way to manage data connections. The stability of the network and sufficient data capacity are increasingly important to society, and even in homes more and more connections are required. That's why we don't think the current situation in Finland is sustainable", states Charlotta Rehman, director responsible for Global Connect's consumer business in Finland, Sweden and Denmark.
GlobalConnect has signed several letters of intent with Finnish subcontractors in order to be able to successfully implement strong expansion plans. In addition, the company has hired Pekka Sallinen, who has worked in the technology sector for a long time, to support the expansion in Finland.
