Fibre optic ‘parasite’ warning

TELEFONICA warned that it could reconsider the timing and funding of its fibre optic network.

With the exception of nine cities, Spain’s Markets and Competition regulator CNMC has proposed that Telefonica share its infrastructure with other operators.

The telecommunications multinational has not officially announced its stance but is “voicing worries,” it said.

If the CMNC goes ahead with its proposals, this could in turn imperil the profitability of its investment and endanger thousands of jobs created to roll out the new system, Telefonica predicted.

The supervisor’s decision would act as a disincentive to competitors by imposing “parasitic” conditions on Telefonica that reflect the existing ADSL model, the company said.