Polish cable: 10 key facts

The Polish cable industry is helping to develop the country’s economy in 10 key ways, according to the findings of a new report produced by PwC in cooperation with PIKE.

• The first is that 2.4 million people now access the internet via cable, or over double the number in 2009.
• The second is that cable now accounts for over 30% of fixed line connections. This is much higher than the European average of 18% and puts Poland in the 10th place in the EU.
• The third is that 96% of the technology used by cable operators fulfills the criteria of NGAs. Over 65% of cable subscribers in Poland can access internet services at speeds of over 30 Mbps.
• The fourth is that between 2009 and 2014 the percentage of cable subscribers opting for their internet offers increased from 31% to 43%.
  The fifth is that it can be concluded that cable operators have accounted for 4-5% of growth in Poland’s economy in recent years.
• The sixth is that the actual internet speeds offered by cable operators are 87% (download) and 103.6% (upload) of those on average available in Poland.
• The seventh is that cable operators is that invest intensively – typically 20% of their revenues, compared to an industry and ICT average of around 5%. Between 2009-2014 their investment amounted to around PLN5.3 billion (€1.25 billion).
• The eighth is that of cable operators’ revenues of PLN3.9 billion in 2014, added value accounted for PLN1.76 billion of the total.
• The ninth is that there are currently around 10,000 people employed in Poland’s cable industry, or 23% more than five years ago.
• Finally, it is estimated that public finances benefited to the tune of around PLN480 million thanks to the cable industry.