# Network Tower Sharing Analysis in Greece: A Structure-Conduct-Performance Approach
## 3 Results
### Performance  
Greece has been a leader in making the 5G pioneer bands (700 MHz, 2 GHz, 3400-3800 MHz, and 26 GHz) available as early as 2020. Since then, the country has made rapid advancements in expanding 5G coverage, constantly surpassing the EU average every year and contributing significantly to the digital decade objectives. In 2023, Greece achieved 5G coverage of 98.1%, significantly higher than the EU average of 89.3%, with an annual growth rate of 14.5% compared to 9.8% at the EU level. It should be noted that 5G coverage refers to the percentage of populated areas covered by at least one operator, according to European Commission's and National Regulatory Authorities' reporting methodology. Approximately 58.8% of Greece's populated areas are covered by the 3.4-3.8 GHz band, supporting advanced applications that require a broader bandwidth, as well as exceeding the EU average of 50.6%. In rural regions, 5G coverage reached an impressive 92.1%, well above the EU's 73.1%, marking a significant leap from 57.8% in the previous year. Despite these advances, mobile broadband adoption in Greece remains at 83.5%, below the EU average of 89.9%. Greece's strategic plan aims for 100% 5G coverage by 2030, aligning with the EU's overall target. Given the consistent growth in recent years, Greece is expected to make a substantial contribution to meeting the EU's 5G targets [33; 34]. In parallel, as far as fixed broadband is concerned, the situation is very different. Greece has been constantly scoring low for most fixed broadband indicators in the last years. Regarding fixed very high-capacity network (VHCN) coverage, Greece is notably below the EU average, with 20% in 2021, 27.9% in 2022, and 38.4% in 2023, versus 70% in 2021, 73% in 2022, and 79% in 2023, respectively. In addition, as far as fiber to the premises (FTTP) coverage is concerned, the situation is the same. However, it should be noted that Greece performed a notable increase of 10% in both VHCN and FTTP in the last reporting period (i.e., between 2022-2023), which provides a positive signal that the national broadband strategy is starting to produce good results. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Operator**} & **Share of Macro and Micro Sites** & **Share of Macro and Micro Sites** \\  & **Before Market Restructuring** & **After Market Restructuring** \\ \hline Cosmote & 35–45\% & 35–45\% \\ \hline VODAFONE & 15–25\% & 0–5\% \\ \hline WIND & 15–25\% & 0–5\% \\ \hline TowerCo & - & 45–55\% \\ \hline Fortnet & 0–5\% & 0–5\% \\ \hline Rural Connect & 0–5\% & 0–5\% \\ \hline Digea & 0–5\% & 0–5\% \\ \hline Other & 5–15\% & 5–15\% \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 4: Share of macro and micro sites before and after market restructuring. As far as the country's strategy for broadband network deployment, Greece introduced its National Broadband Plan for 2021-2027 in 2022, aiming at advancing the use of fixed very high-capacity and 5G networks as key drivers of the country's digital transformation. The plan has outlined a strategic roadmap for fixed broadband and 5G development, with two primary objectives: a. to stimulate private investment by eliminating administrative obstacles and by fostering an investment-friendly climate, and b. to ensure the broad availability and widespread adoption of very high-capacity broadband services. On top of this, Greece also conducted in 2023 a detailed mapping of private investment plans, for the period 2023-2027. The Ministry of Digital Governance and EETT are currently reviewing the data, so as to identify any remaining investment gaps for speeding up networks' development. In parallel, two new operators have entered the Greek fiber deployment market the last year, and two major projects supported by the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) have been initiated, too.