HELSINSKI — Finland will benefit from more high-speed fixed line connections as Valokuitunen Oy begins rolling out fiber-to-the-home networks in Finnish growth centers and surrounding areas. Valokuitunen, a joint venture between CapMan Infra and Telia Company, will deploy fiber networks to residential suburban neighborhoods on a national scale. The company plans to improve digital infrastructure across the nation by rolling-out fiber to as many as potentially 200,000 households, by investing $216 to $324 million in the coming years.

By 2030, the amount of data transferred by networks is expected to have grown 150-fold compared to today’s levels. According to statistics from Traficom (Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communication), only approximately 8 percent of fixed network connections in Finland use fiber optics and connectivity in residential neighborhoods with small-scale detached housing is significantly less developed compared to urban neighborhoods. Finland is lagging international peers in connectivity objectives, and while Finland is looking to establish 100 Mbps connections to all citizens by 2025, Sweden’s connectivity objectives are ten-fold at 1 Gbps.

Fiber Strategy: To Reach the Home

“The digital infrastructure strategy established by the Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communication states that Finland intends to become a leading country in terms of information networks. In order to reach this objective, we need fiber networks to reach all the way to people’s homes. As evidenced by the exceptional situation we currently experience, society requires fast and reliable network connections in order to function. With more and more appliances connected to the internet and the amount of data transferred growing exponentially, this need is becoming more apparent,” says Juha-Pekka Weckström, chairperson of the board at Valokuitunen Oy.

Valokuitunen Oy, a joint venture between CapMan Infra and Telia Company launched today, is focused on rolling-out fiber networks in growth centers and surrounding areas in Finland. The joint venture has acquired Telia Finland’s existing Avoin Kuitu fiber business and assets, which currently provides network access to approximately 20,000 households around Helsinki, Turku and Tampere.

The new company plans to invest a total of $216 to $324 million in the establishment of new fiber networks. This would increase Valokuitunen’s current network ten-fold and enable high-speed internet access for up to 200,000 households.

This year, Valokuitunen is building new networks in Turku, Uusimaa, and Helsinki metropolitan regions. The company is also gauging household interest in obtaining fiber connections in other growth regions in Finland.

About Valokuitunen Oy

• Offers fiber-to-the-home in in suburban areas
• Will operate and maintain Telia Finland’s former fibre network business (Avoin Kuitu) in 12 municipalities including 20,000 households
• Owners are CapMan Infra (60%) and Telia Company (40%). CapMan is a leading Nordic private assets fund manager and a Finnish public company. CapMan Nordic Infrastructure I Fund was established in 2018 and its investors include, among others, Mutual Pension Insurance Company Ilmarinen, The City of Espoo, The Church Pension Fund and Tradeka
• Learn more about Valokuitunen and register interest for a connection at www.valokuitunen.fi