Telekom Austria and Dutch incumbent KPN’s International arm have signed a wholesale partnership to create a fibre network spanning 35 countries.

The deal encompasses the interconnection of Ethernet, IP VPN, Wavelength and IPT services to maximise traffic and establish an increased presence for both firms in Europe.

The partnership enables Telekom Austria Group to have local presence in Western Europe via KPN International´s backbone infrastructure and in return, KPN and its customers will benefit from the local presence the Telekom Austria Group has across the CEE region.

The firms said that they are implementing common marketing and sales activities in order to ensure further business for the combined networks. They argued that customers will also get more efficient solutions due to enhanced end-to-end managed networks, with a single point of contact.

KPN and Telekom Austria added that they are making data services available for target groups such as international wholesale carriers as well as large business customers. The network connection will be established in Frankfurt with a back-up in Vienna.

The IP backbone connects, among many others, the four most important Internet Exchange Points in Europe: Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam and Paris. A total of 173 PoPs within 35 countries across Europe and North America will be covered by the backbone.

“I see an excellent operational fit as both backbone network providers focus on top quality,” said Stefan Amon, director of wholesale at Telekom Austria Group. “This infrastructure throughout 35 countries will be one of the largest in Europe, offering technological as well as local know-how and experience from Telekom Austria Group in CEE and from KPN International in Western Europe”.

Jasper Snijder, managing director of KPN International voiced his confidence that the partnership will strengthen customer service and experience.

“It enables both companies to make more efficient use of our networks, which will benefit our customers,” he said.