With digital transformation we embrace innovation
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INEA Utilising technology in the telecoms sector WRIT TEN BY
SE AN GA LE A-PACE PRODUCED BY
JA MES PEPPER
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Management Board Member and Chief Operating Officer of INEA, Michał Bartkowiak, discusses how his company is utilising technology amid digital transformation in the industry.
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s the fastest broadband and Wi-Fi provider in Poland in 2018, INEA has achieved significant success during the last year.
Michał Bartkowiak, Management Board Member and Chief Operating Officer of INEA, believes innovation and the company’s willingness to embrace technology has been key reasons to INEA’s achievements. “We are definitely an innovative company. As a provider of retail services, we deliver the fastest broadband in the world with our flagship offering of the symmetric internet with Fibre-To-The-Home (FTTH) technology at a speed of 10Gb/s,” affirms Bartkowiak. “As an infrastructure operator, we are one of the only operators in Europe that actively opens the network we use as a services provider to other telecommunications operators.” Through providing broadband, internet, television, mobile and fixed-line telephony services, as well
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as professional services for business
that we differ from many companies
and public sector, Bartkowiak believes
because of our way of thinking. We
that INEA has become successful due
are a technological leader in the region
the company’s ability to diversify.
with a state-of-the-art infrastructure
“One of the great features of the world that surrounds us is diversity.
that we aren’t afraid to use.” With more than 250,000 customers,
Attitudes and business models of
INEA value their investments in rural
companies from the TMT sector
areas having introduced the last mile
differ from one another and a result,
network which covers over 70,000
a specific market space has been
households in rural areas within the
created for each of us, where we can
Greater Poland region. The implemen-
operate and experiment,” he explains.
tation of the network has allowed
“If we look at the telecommunications
INEA to collect data in order to better
market in Europe, it becomes evident
understand the needs of residents
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in the region. “The last mile network in rural areas enabled us to collect valuable experience, both in terms of the construction of a network in such area and the service sales potential. Now, we have a better understanding of the needs of the residents and we’re ready to expand such networks in Poland.”
MAKING SUBSTANTIAL INVESTMENTS As a leading firm in the field of fibre-optic infrastructure in the Greater Poland region, INEA has invested more than $266mn in the infrastructure during the past six years. “These were investments implemented in two areas, such as construction of fibre-optic 08
networks in the FTTH standard and reconstruction of the existing infrastructure to this standard,” says Bartkowiak. “The main projects involved the construction of a broad-band backbone network in Wielkopolska in 2013, the construction of last mile networks and the reconstruction of the infrastructure in towns and cities from Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) to FTTH standard.” During the past two years, INEA took part in a competition under the Operating Programme Digital Poland, conducted by the Ministry of Digitalisation in Poland and won in more than 20 regions. In order to remain a leader in the industry, INEA has made strategic decisions in order to adapt to changes in the industry. Bartkowiak affirms how vital it is to embrace the latest technology or risk being overtaken by its rivals.
“As an infrastructure operator, we are one of the only operators in Europe that actively opens the network we use as a services provider to other telecommunications operators” — Michał Bartkowiak, Management Board Member and COO of INEA
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€100mn Approximate revenue
1994
Year founded
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820
Approximate number of employees
“It’s of key importance to observe the
for another market challenger in the
changes happening by using technol-
industry who will force us into action.
ogy in different aspects of our lives.
We need to make decisions on our own
We have to examine how our expecta-
and try to be the leaders by assuming
tions to the products or services that
the risk of wrong decisions. Technology
we are using is changing. It’s important
becomes devalued very quickly, so
to observe the entire spectrum of
we need to fully maximise its potential.
innovations taking place in the world,”
I believe that passive waiting is the
he explains. “We can’t afford to wait
worst thing one can do.”
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The part of the team (from left): Krzysztof Kwiatkowski – responsible for network construction and maintenance, Marta Myszkowska – responsible for customer care quality, Tomasz Zmyślny – Head of Marketing & PR, Alicja Kakała-Szadkowska - Procurement Manager, Maciej Piechociński – Head of Sales, Krystyna Sawczuk – Head of HR and Krzysztof Marciniak – Head of IT
FORMING KEY PARTNERSHIPS
achievements. “From the perspective
During the last two years, INEA and
of the open network model develop-
Orange Poland signed agreements
ment, the contract with Orange Poland
on the wholesale access to its infra-
was a significant achievement. We
structure in the LLU and BSA model.
provided the company with our
And this is just the beginning of INEA’s
infrastructure for the sale of retail
open network strategy. Bartkowiak
services. From the perspective of the
believes the contract with Orange has
Polish market, it was the first contract
been one of the company’s biggest
of its type and has become an inspirae uro pe .busi ne ssc w w w. hief. in ea com .pl
tion for others to follow. From our point of view, this collaboration confirmed
pean Infrastructure Fund 5 acquired
the validity of the previously selected
a majority stake in INEA which will
direction for the development of our
support continued development and
company.”
growth. “Growth in telecommunication
In order to stand a greater chance
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In February 2018, Macquarie Euro-
requires significant capital expenditure.
of success, the majority of companies
You can have most wonderful ideas but
opt to form partnerships to drive profit,
without relevant financial back-up, their
however, Bartkowiak points out what
implementation will be impossible,”
INEA requires from its business relation-
affirms Bartkowiak. “We are glad that it
ships. “You meet good partners, just
is Macquarie that we have the opportu-
like friends, in difficult situations. Similar
nity to work with. Due to the fact that
to everyone in our industry, we are
we share the same vision of INEA
working with numerous partners in
development, I am convinced that the
the market. Starting from suppliers
combination of these two elements
of equipment and materials, through
guarantees development and growth.”
developers of business solutions or software, to our closest partners,
FUTURE PLANS
technical and commercial partners, who
With INEA demonstrating an ambition
work in the field. Without their knowl-
to continue to grow despite a changing
edge, experience, dynamic operations,
market, Bartkowiak affirms how key it
development or innovation, it would be
is that the company expands on an
impossible,” he says. “These types of
ongoing basis. “We are continu-
relations are very precious and they
ously searching for new areas to
require mutual trust, understanding
grow. Sometimes, we joke
and good communication. It’s difficult
that on the day when we
to sustain such relations; however, we
announce the launch of
don’t surrender and we endeavor to
a new product, we are
work on the continuous improvement
already working on
of this co-operation.”
another one. That was
“It’s of key importance to observe the changes happening by using technology in different aspects of our lives. We have to examine how our expectations of the products or services that we are using is changing. It’s important to observe the entire spectrum of innovations taking place in the world” — Michał Bartkowiak, Management Board Member and COO of INEA
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“We are continuously searching for new areas to grow. Sometimes, we joke that on the day when we announce the launch of a new product, we are already working on another one. That was precisely the case with the 10 Gb/s service we started this year. It’s vital we act quickly because of the way the market is changing” — Michał Bartkowiak, Management Board Member and COO of INEA
precisely the case with 10 Gb/s
focused on the construction of an
service started this year. It’s vital we
open optic-fibre infrastructure. Having
act quickly because of the way the
won over 20 competitions under the
market is changing.”
Operating Programme Digital Poland,
Looking to the future, Bartkowiak
we are also implementing projects
believes that INEA remains deter-
consisting of the expansion of the
mined to build on its success through
existing telecommunication infrastruc-
the implementation of new projects to
ture and reconstruction of the existing
enhance the firm’s existing telecom-
one to FTTH standard,” he says. “As a
munication infrastructure. “We remain
result of those projects, we will reach
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about 700,000 more households
of teaching, handling affairs with
located in rural areas with our network.
authorities or benefiting from enter-
All the schools located on the territory
tainment will change and this will
of planned investments will be
completely transform the image of
connected to the network and these
those towns.�
are areas that are digitally excluded, where broadband services are unavailable today. The residents of those areas will have access to modern digital services. The method w w w. in ea . p l
INEA Wysogotowo ul. Wierzbowa 84, PrzeĹşmierowo, Poland. 62-081, PL www.inea.pl