Corfu internet: Please hold the line...
The digital age has arrived in Corfu, but in many areas of the island, it seems to have been left… on hold.
CORFU. An outdated copper network, limited fibre-optic coverage, gaps in connectivity and the summer overload are keeping the island in digital limbo. – Even POS transactions are experiencing difficulties.
Low speeds, frequent disconnections, areas with inadequate mobile phone coverage, and difficulties even in carrying out online transactions have long been part of the picture when it comes to telecommunications in Corfu. The problem becomes more acute during the summer months, when the island’s population multiplies and existing infrastructure is called upon to serve a much larger number of users.
The situation reached Parliament in May 2026, when independent Corfu MP Alexandros Avlonitis submitted a question to the Ministers of Digital Governance and Infrastructure. The question refers to areas with complete or near-complete absence of signal, as well as extremely low speeds even within the city. It also highlights problems with POS terminals and online payments, particularly during periods of increased tourist activity. The MP is calling for the problematic areas to be identified, providers to be inspected, and a specific timetable to be established for upgrading the infrastructure. So far, however, no detailed technical assessment of the causes in different areas of the island has been made public.
One of the main causes is considered to be the continued use of the old copper telephone network in what is known as the “last mile.” In many cases, fibre optic cable reaches the roadside cabinet, but the connection from there to the home or business is still made via copper cables. The distance from the cabinet, the age of the network and the condition of the cables limit actual speeds and cause instability.
The rollout of fibre to the building – FTTH – has not yet covered the island uniformly. Investment is progressing more rapidly in densely populated and commercially more profitable areas, while scattered settlements, villages and remote tourist zones are being left behind. The actual availability of FTTH, VDSL, ADSL, 4G and 5G can now be checked by address on the official Broadband Map, whose data is submitted by the providers themselves.
Mobile telecommunications face additional challenges from the island’s rugged terrain, vegetation and dispersed development, which create “dead spots” in coverage. Even when a 4G or 5G indicator appears on the screen, actual speeds can be very low if a cell tower is simultaneously serving an excessive number of users. The phenomenon peaks in summer, when hotels, shops, visitors and seasonal businesses place additional strain on the same networks.
There are also concerns about the resilience of the backbone network. In April 2021, an OTE fibre-optic cable was cut during excavation work in the town centre, leaving a large part of the island without internet access. The incident, reported by ERT, highlighted how far-reaching the consequences of a single fault can be when there are insufficient alternative routes.
The solution, therefore, does not lie in a single intervention. What is needed is an acceleration of fibre-to-the-building deployment, reinforcement of mobile masts and their capacity, coverage for remote settlements, and the creation of redundant routes within the backbone network. Above all, however, there needs to be a public and measurable assessment of the situation: which areas are experiencing problems, which provider serves them, and when they are expected to be upgraded.
GIORGOS KATSAITIS
