The government of Monaco and Monaco Telecom have renewed their public telecommunications concession for 20 more years in a show of trust that the company will continue to deliver top-notch service to the residents of the Principality.

The new deal will give “closer coordination” between the entities through a plan that sees them revisit developments in technologies and services every three years.

In practice, this will come about through the creation of a strategic committee that will include members of the government, the National Council and Monaco Telecom. They will meet once a year minimum, more if it is requested by any party involved, and will ensure the telecom company is offering the most competitive pricing and the best service possible.

“This new 20-year concession is the mark of renewed confidence on the part of the Prince’s Government and the National Council and rewards major investments in innovation, infrastructure, offers and services of recent years for the benefit of our residents and our businesses,” said Etienne Franzi, President of Monaco Telecom. “This is both a source of pride and a great responsibility. The international development of Monaco Telecom strengthens the innovation capacities of the company and the influence of the Principality. It will be actively pursued following this agreement.”

Monaco Telecom will be providing new and extended services from now until 2023, including the deployment of a fibre network covering the entire country. Currently, two-thirds of Monaco has this service, and in 2022 all homes and businesses will be able to benefit from better service.

As part of the fibre package, Monaco Telecom will be offering a new television system developed with Apple and will also be able to provide companies with an integrated communication suite through the Box. The improved service will also help in home connectivity for those who will continue to work from home.

Additionally, the company will strive to generalise 5G coverage inside buildings, offer a mobile telephone service for those with limited coverage through a “voice-over WiFi” system and continue to expand the public WiFi network, which already has 72 hot spots in use, making it a free service.  

Monaco enjoys one of the more advanced telecom infrastructures in the world. It was the first to be fully covered by 5G, even in tough to access areas such as underground car parks, as well as giving more than 90% of fixed line clients 1GB of connectivity, going up to 10 GB for those with fibre.

The new agreement also makes Monaco Telecom an active partner of the Extended Monaco scheme and will use the greenest possible methods for delivering services, including using green electricity for data centres, finding new ways to optimise consumption, rolling out a 100% electric vehicle fleet, and developing a recycling programme for all its equipment.

“With this agreement which perpetuates the role and commitment of Monaco Telecom for the Principality, it is one more step for our Extended Monaco program, which can count on the mobilisation of all the actors concerned,” said Frédéric Genta, Interministerial Delegate in charge of Digital Transition. “It is essential that our national operator fully supports the various objectives of attractiveness, sustainable development and digital transformation that we have set for ourselves. Today, this is an important step in consolidating our Monegasque ambition via a range of services and essential infrastructure for Monaco.”

The company is also dedicated to Integrating the digital identity developed by the government by offering a highly secure connection and generalising the electronic signature for customer convenience.

Infrastructure will also continue to be improved with secure hosting capabilities, offering a Sovereign Cloud service, and by becoming part of a 100GB international network securing Monaco’s connectivity. Business clients can also expect to see reduced tariffs to the tune of 50% over the next three years.

Locals will also benefit from tariff deals. The National Council has called for the company to offer discounts up to 30% for long-term residents and children born in the Principality.

“A single figure could sum up the progress obtained: €20 per month, this is the savings that a customer who has a one GB internet subscription will achieve. Today, they pay €59.99 each month with cable and old technology, tomorrow, they will pay €39.99 with  one GB fibre, Apple TV and Wifi Mesh technology,” explained National Councilman Franck Lobono.

Stephane Valeri, National Council President summed it up, saying, “This result is a new illustration of a pragmatic win-win policy, which we defend in our approach in general and of course in the negotiations concerning the conceded monopolies.”

Photo from left to right – Frédéric Genta – Etienne Franzi – Martin Péronnet – Christophe Pierre by Communication Department – Michael Alesi