Joachim Reiter: Greece can become a digital gateway to three continents

Greece is being presented as more than a national telecommunications market. For Vodafone executive Joachim Reiter, it could become a secure digital gateway linking Europe with the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Reiter, Vodafone’s chief external and corporate affairs officer and an executive committee member, visited Athens in late August. He met National Economy and Finance Minister and Eurogroup President Kyriakos Pierrakakis, as well as Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis. In an exclusive interview with Kathimerini, he outlined Greece’s role in Vodafone’s investment strategy and its prospects as a regional technology and connectivity hub.

He said Greece stands out in Europe because of its political stability, predictable regulation and consolidated market structure, which can support investment at scale. Vodafone has invested about €1.5 billion in the country during the past decade. Its network now covers 96% of the population with 5G, while the company aims to connect 850,000 households and businesses through fiber-to-the-home networks. That expansion could accelerate through a proposed joint venture with PPC, which is under consideration.

Reiter also highlighted the undersea cable station at Tympaki, Crete, as part of Greece’s broader geopolitical role. He argued that the country’s location and infrastructure could strengthen its position as a digital link between several regions.

Beyond Greece, Reiter criticized the regulatory fragmentation affecting Europe’s telecommunications competitiveness. He supported the general direction of Pierrakakis’ proposals to reconsider spectrum auctions, arguing that spectrum should be treated as strategic infrastructure. The goal, he said, should be to direct resources into network investment rather than simply maximize state revenues.

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Greece is an important market for the Vodafone Group, not only because of our long presence, but mainly because of the quality of its opportunities and its role in our growth strategy.