The progress of Vodafone Greece’s investments in next-generation telecommunications infrastructure was presented by Nikos Plevris (photo), the company’s Network Director, participating in the panel “The next day of telecommunications network development”, at the conference “Advanced Telecoms Summit 2026”.
Specifically, Mr. Plevris noted that the company is intensively developing modern 5G, fiber optic, and submarine cable networks, having implemented investments exceeding 1.5 billion euros over the last decade.
As he mentioned, Vodafone’s privately owned fiber optic network is expanding at a strong pace, now exceeding 620,000 homes and businesses, while active FTTH connections more than doubled in 2025 compared to the previous year. Based on the company’s plan, the goal is the development of 850,000 FTTH lines by 2027, contributing to the further strengthening of broadband and to Greece’s convergence with the European average.
In the second part of the discussion, Nikos Plevris referred to the role of submarine cable systems, underlining the importance of developing alternative data transmission routes, especially in the environment of modern geopolitical challenges. Vodafone has been investing for years in the development of submarine fiber optic cable systems, creating an extensive infrastructure network, with the station in Tympaki, Crete as its central hub. The submarine cable systems 2Africa and India-Europe Xpress (IEX) are already hosted there, two of the largest submarine fiber optic cable systems worldwide. Through them, Greece is connected to three continents – Europe, Africa, and Asia – strengthening the country’s international interconnection capabilities. At the same time, Vodafone Greece has completed the construction of submarine and terrestrial fiber optic cables in the Aegean and Ionian, with a total length of approximately 1,500 kilometers.
As part of the planning of Vodafone Greece’s immediate next investments, Vodafone has started planning the development of another submarine fiber optic cable system, Thetis Express. The new system will include two marine sections measuring 129 and 163 kilometers, as well as terrestrial connections via Milos and the landing points in Crete and Attica. In total, Thetis Express will have a length of approximately 340 kilometers and will connect data centers in Heraklion, Crete, and Athens.
With a horizon to 2030, Vodafone is aiming for a unified, intelligent, and AI-native network, where technologies and infrastructure such as 5G Standalone, Autonomous Networks, fiber optics, submarine interconnections, and satellite connectivity will operate complementarily, offering greater reliability, security, and quality of experience. In this direction, already, the use of artificial intelligence in Data Centers contributes to predicting malfunctions and optimizing network operation, while our infrastructure strengthens Greece’s role as a strategic digital hub between Europe, Africa, and Asia.