Euskaltel
Sociedad Anónima | |
Industry | Telecommunications |
Founded | July 3, 1995 |
Headquarters | Derio, Spain |
Area served | Basque Country |
Key people | Alberto García Erauzkin, Chairman |
Services | Digital television, broadband Internet, fixed-line telephone, mobile telephony |
Owner | Kutxabank (25%) |
Number of employees | 346 (2015) |
Subsidiaries | R Cable y Telecommunications Galicia, S.A. (100%) |
Website |
www |
Euskaltel, S.A. is a Spanish telecommunications company based in Derio, Basque Country. It was formed in 1995 in a joint effort by the Basque Government and several Basque saving banks. Its name literally translates into English as "Basque-Tel".
Euskatel operates a fibre optics network within the region, laid in collaboration with the Basque gas company.
Its chairman is Alberto García Erauzkin.
The company uses the small nearby town of Urnietatel as a testing ground.
The corporate colour is orange.
Mobile virtual network operator
Although Euskaltel has its own cable network, it doesn't have a licence to use mobile phone aerials. The company has agreements with Vodafone, to use their aerials for their mobile phone service. Previously it had an agreement with Amena to provide their service in the Basque country while Amena operated in the rest of Spain, but it was ended when Amena was absorbed by France Telecom, becoming Orange Espana, S.A.
Corporate sponsorship
Euskaltel was the joint lead sponsor of the Basque Country's major professional cycling team, Euskaltel-Euskadi, along with the regional government. The team, once one of eighteen elite teams making up the UCI ProTour, was a regular participant in the annual Tour de France and Vuelta a España, and has helped to launch the careers of many top Basque professional cyclists such as Iban Mayo and Haimar Zubeldia.