Euskaltel targets Spain expansion with Virgin deal

Spanish operator Euskaltel struck an agreement with Virgin Group to use its brand across the country, a move designed to drive the regional company's ambitions to become an established national player. In a statement, Euskaltel said the agreement would help it expand into the 85 per cent of the Spanish market where it is not present today, helping customers in these regions to access its portfolio of quad-play services. Euskaltel began its expansion journey in December 2019 when it struck a wholesale deal with Orange Spain to expand its presence beyond the north of the country. The company said the latest deal builds on the strategy, with the Virgin brand to sit alongside its three operations: Euskaltel, Telecable and R. The company explained it aims to use Virgin as a national brand, given it had already established a reputation across the nation and in other Spanish speaking countries. It plans to continue operating the other three brands on a regional basis. Jose Miguel Garcia, CEO of Euskaltel, said the Virgin deal would be a “major asset” as it looks to expand its business into the rest of Spain. In its statement, Euskaltel said Virgin counts more than 15 million telecoms customers worldwide, in the UK, US, France, Australia, Mexico, Colombia, Chile and others.