Issue 24 Articles

Andorra Telecom logoAndorra:
a Smart Country

Robert Alcock talks to Jordi Nadal, Chief Executive Officer at Andorra Telecom

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Jordi Nadal, CEO of Andorra Telecom
Jordi Nadal, CEO of Andorra Telecom

Jordi Nadal is the CEO of Andorra Telecom. He has been part of Andorra Telecom's team since 1994. Mr Nadal has a degree in marketing from EADA and a Telecommunications Engineer Master from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC).

Andorra Telecom is the Principality of Andorra’s public communications operator. Andorra is a small country that is slowly establishing itself as a Smart Country. The drive provided by the campaign led by Jordi Nadal is essential in this social and economic transformation.

Q: Andorra, a Smart Country. Why?
A: Our government took the decision to turn Andorra into a Smart Country and Andorra Telecom is a fundamental part in the process of creating such an ecosystem. This is due, in part, to the advantages small countries have in terms of adapting to technological progress, which also makes our country attractive for testing new services and applications.

The broad range of the services we offer has allowed us to become a Smart Country, rather than just a Smart City. In that sense, we have finished several strategic projects in the past few months that will help us move forward quickly and sustainably.

Q: Is one of these projects shutting off ADSL?
A: Shutting off ADSL is the result of having successfully implemented a fibre-optic grid, and wasn’t exclusively aimed at creating a Smart Country.

On the 3rd of November we disconnected more than 20,533 ADSL connections that were present in Andorra in 2009. We were able to achieve this thanks to 100% coverage of fibre optics in homes and companies nationwide. What sets us apart from other providers is that we didn’t contemplate the deployment of fibre optics as a second, higher-quality option, but as a universal service. The advantages this offers our clients come both in terms of speeds of 100 Mbps (symmetrical)—at very competitive prices—, and of being able to simultaneously connect several devices without any noticeable effects on their browsing speed.

Q: Considering Andorra’s location, in the middle of the Pyrenees, is external connectivity guaranteed for citizens and companies alike?
A: Absolutely. We currently have 4 international broadband lines linking us to Spain and France. We will have an additional, fifth line at the end of this year, thanks to French operator Ariege Telecom, linking us to France. This will allow us to more than ensure external connectivity, with no network congestion, for years to come.

Q: Concerning mobile telephone services, have you begun to deploy 4G?
A: Yes, indeed. We completed the first stage of the deployment of the 4G network towards the end of 2014. Our efforts have been aimed at ensuring that the entire country, including the most isolated areas, has network coverage. There is currently 95% 3G coverage and 70% 4G coverage. In the most highly populated areas, users are able to browse at speeds of up to 75 Mbps (symmetrical). There are around 10,000 clients with 4G on their devices in Andorra, and this year we are going to sign roaming agreements with neighbouring countries so that visitors can enjoy 4G as well.

Q: Mobile phone users are increasingly concerned about the security of their telecommunications. Based on P1SEC’s report, that won’t be a problem for Andorra, isn’t that so?
A: Yes, it is. The report presented at the 31C3 Chaos Communication Congress showed that Andorra’s telecommunication network is the safest in the world. Andorra Telecom has been allocating considerable resources to updating and training our assets to ensure and guarantee both the SS7 network and all other infrastructures. As a result of our commitment to security we have reached a strategic agreement with WIseKey, to jointly develop the WIseID Personal Cloud application, which will be stored at our Data Centre. This App will provide Cloud Computing services using a platform developed by both companies. These jointly developed products will increase the cyber security we offer by applying measures that guarantee data confidentiality, integrity and availability in Andorra.

Q: Finally, what do you foresee for Andorra Telecom?
A: Andorra Telecom’s strategy is based on diversifying our activity. We have already established a good foundation in that respect over the past few years. Both our Development and Innovation department and our technological partners are currently working on new activities that are already beginning to yield results. We’re also looking into new markets capable of bringing benefits not only to us, but also to other Andorran companies.

Andorra Telecom logoFor more information visit:
www.andorratelecom.com

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