Today, at the Iliad group's head office in Paris, Ambroise Fayolle, Vice-President of the EIB – the bank of the European Union – and Iliad's founder Xavier Niel announced €200 million of financing to support the rollout of Superfast Broadband (FTTH or "fibre to the home") networks in France. This new loan means that the EIB has provided €550 million of support for the Iliad group's development and innovation strategy in France since 2009.

The loan is an ideal example of European co-operation and is also supported by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), which is a central part of the Investment Plan for Europe, more commonly known as the "Juncker Plan". The Iliad group will benefit from particularly attractive financial terms that are well suited to the sector and type of investment.

European Commission Vice-President, Jyrki Katainen, responsible for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, said: "The Investment Plan is helping to lay the foundation of enhanced productivity and growth in France and across Europe. Our Digital Agenda recognises that Europe needs widely available and competitively priced fast and ultra-fast internet access. This agreement is an excellent demonstration of how the EFSI is working to achieve our broader strategic objectives through granting nine million households benefiting from improved internet access”.

The EIB's €200 million loan is intended to support the rollout of a fibre-optic network using FTTH access technology across France between now and 2018. By end 2018, FTTH access through Free's services will be available to 9 million connectible lines in Very Densely Populated Areas (ZTD) and in areas of medium population density (ZMD). As well as improving service quality, the project will also have very positive economic consequences for the regions concerned, particularly in terms of productivity and job creation.

"Superfast Broadband access for all is a priority for the EIB, which is the bank of the European Union. That's why we are very pleased to be announcing this new loan, which is part of the Juncker Plan and confirms our excellent partnership with the Iliad group," said EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle when the loan was announced. "As the Juncker Plan is implemented in France, we are increasing our support for innovation and competitiveness within France's regions. We are creating new training and job opportunities for younger generations. Since the Investment Plan for Europe started, 58 projects have been approved in France, and they are likely to generate €21.9 billion of additional investment."

"This financing agreement continues the long-standing partnership between Iliad and the EIB. It will help us to rollout our FTTH network across France and to provide an ever more competitive and innovative service to consumers," said Xavier Niel, founder of the Iliad group and its majority shareholder.

The loan is entirely consistent with the European Union's 2020 strategy and the digital agenda for Europe, which is based on the rollout of broadband internet. A key objective of the strategy is for all European citizens to have access to 30Mbps broadband services, and also for 50% of European households to have access to services offering speeds of over 100Mbps.

In 2016, the EIB invested over €1 billion in developing Superfast Broadband in France.