Bouygues Telecom announces a partnership with the Axione/Mirova consortium to roll out FTTH infrastructure in the Very Dense Area. This partnership is based on the model already developed by Axione with local authorities within public initiative networks in rural areas.

Paris, 12 December 2018 - Following a call for tenders by Bouygues Telecom, Axione, a subsidiary of Bouygues Construction, and its financial partner Mirova have signed a new contract to roll out and operate FTTH in the Very Dense Area. For Bouygues Telecom, this partnership guarantees the financing and roll-out of a horizontal FTTH network comprising an additional 3.4 million premises in the Very Dense Area and provides the expertise of Axione in terms of long-term infrastructure management. Thanks to this deal, Bouygues Telecom completes its FTTH coverage and will thus have access to the entire Very Dense Area by the end of 2021. At the same time, the deal will bring to 6 million the total number of fibre optic premises operated and marketed by Axione in mainland France.

As a result, Axione and Mirova have created CityFast, a network access services provider dedicated to the Very Dense Area. Bouygues Telecom  will transfer its existing fibre  optic  infrastructure in the  Very Dense Area to CityFast and will design and roll out CityFast’s future FTTH network. CityFast will guarantee Bouygues Telecom access to its fibre optic network for a term of 30 years. CityFast will also open up this new infrastructure to all other operators. Axione will operate, maintain and market the network on behalf of CityFast.

This new contract, which is based on a model that is completely new in France, forms part of a long- term investment and diversification strategy for Axione/Mirova that might also become a benchmark worldwide.

Christian Lecoq, Bouygues Telecom CFO said: “This new partnership for the roll-out and operation of our passive infrastructure by a recognised sector player will enable Bouygues Telecom to speed up its FTTH coverage of France and ensure an excellent level of service quality. As a result, we are pursuing our aim of providing very-high-speed internet to as many people as possible.”

Dominique Astier, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Axione, added: “Axione is delighted to team up with Mirova to provide Bouygues Telecom, and new market players, access to a fully fibre optic very-high-speed network in the Very Dense Area. We have responsibility for operating, maintaining, and marketing the network which must be able to satisfy local requirements. We are committed to providing this new market with the expertise gained in rural areas in order to contribute to the development and opening up of FTTH infrastructure. We are proud to create this new model, which is the first of its kind in France!”

Gwenola Chambon, Head of General Infrastructure Funds at Mirova, made  the  following  comments: “This is a genuine future-shaping operation since it opens up this very closed market to alternative operators by providing them with the services they are looking for and which Axione and Mirova are already providing this type of clientele with in rural areas. It is therefore fully in line with our commitment to set-up and invest in very long-term public-interest infrastructure projects that benefit as many people as possible. This is a first for France, which would not have come about without our long- standing partnership with Axione. We are also delighted to provide CityFast with our recognised expertise and experience in digital network infrastructure investment since Mirova has been working in the sector since 2009 alongside Axione within Axione Infrastructures and currently manages its investments in 16 public initiative networks.”