Our successful business operation and financial stability provide us with favorable conditions, while our extensive knowledge and experience build our trust into public-private partnership projects. We are open to new business opportunities and willing to invest our knowledge, experience and capital into them.
At the moment, we have an active role in several extensive public-private partnership projects, co-financed by the European Union from European Regional Development Fund and the Republic of Slovenia. These projects involve the construction and management of open broadband networks in (mostly rural) areas, where there is no market interest for the construction of such networks due to the spars population. In all projects, we are taking part as a private partner and co-financer, as the network construction contractor and, finally, network manager and maintenance provider. The network will enable all interested service providers to offer broadband services (broadband internet, IP television and IP telephony) under the same conditions.
In 2010 we completed the construction of broadband networks in the area of seven municipalities of Mislinjska and Dravska region and in the area of Ormož, Sveti Tomaž and Središče ob Dravi municipalities, providing broadband services to over 6.400 households, businesses and other users. These projects, which were completed within 18 months, involved the construction of 1.500 km of cable ducts for over 2.000 km of optical cables. We invested over 8 mio EUR of our own resources into these two projects, which will be returned through 20 year management and maintenance concession period.
Having successfully erected the first networks, we are continuing the construction of new open broadband networks through a public-private partnership in the areas of the Mokronog-Trebelno, Mirna, Mirna Peč, and Trebnje, Šentrupert, Žužemberk, Sevnica and Slovenske Konjice municipalities. We have invested nearly 12 milion EUR of private resources into these networks in 2011 and 2012.
We not only see public-private partnership projects as a great opportunity for faster economic development in the region, but also for the reduction of economic and social divides between regions within the European area, particularly with projects that are co-financed by European funds and that promote balanced and sustainable development. Public-private partnership projects, especially those conductive to sustainable development, will therefore continue to be among our key objectives.