Jordi Hereu (Hispasat): "There will not be an inch in Spain without data to send a message or email"

• CARLOS SEGOVIA

Updated Sunday, February 26, 2023-00:12

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Jordi Hereu (Barcelona, ​​1965) was appointed president of Hispasat by the current government in 2020 and gave this newspaper his first interview in office.

The Catalan socialist who was mayor of Barcelona does not yearn for politics and assumes that he is passing through if there is a new government.

He lives his business present with enthusiasm after "the big week" that he has just experienced: he has launched a new state-of-the-art satellite, the

in Cape Canaveral and has tied a State contract, won in a public tender, for there to be Wi-Fi in the most difficult parts of the country.

The award is still formally provisional, but the perspective is confirmation in a short time.

What does the contract that the Government has awarded to Hispasat mean for connectivity in Spain? In the development of the Digital Spain Agenda and also of the Recovery and Resilience Plan, one of the important issues is the universalization of digital connectivity.

That is what we will now face with the Single Rural Demand Program.

And it not only responds to a strategic plan of the State, but to an aspiration of Hispasat.

We have been working on this project to help connect the country for years. What scope does it have? From a mountain refuge in the Aran Valley to a small house for ranchers in the Sierra de Aralar or even fishing boats in Hondarribia.

It is about generalizing digital connectivity in less populated Spain.

It is to guarantee equality of conditions with the rest of the population.

At what price for citizens? The price is absolutely competitive.

35 euros per month with a speed of 100 megabytes, which allows you to develop functions both at a family and professional level.

Also the functions of a Town Hall.

For us it is a responsibility, but also a source of pride to be a company that is also an instrument at the service of this country.

It is not only to provide service to the towns where people live, but to provide sound in the mountains and fields with agricultural, livestock or forestry activities.

Intelligent territory management will be facilitated, which allows, for example, to monitor the evolution of a forest or cattle with the digital kit of a cow, so to speak.

Also the functions of a Town Hall.

For us it is a responsibility, but also a source of pride to be a company that is also an instrument at the service of this country.

It is not only to provide service to the towns where people live, but to provide sound in the mountains and fields with agricultural, livestock or forestry activities.

Intelligent territory management will be facilitated, which allows, for example, to monitor the evolution of a forest or cattle with the digital kit of a cow, so to speak.

Also the functions of a Town Hall.

For us it is a responsibility, but also a source of pride to be a company that is also an instrument at the service of this country.

It is not only to provide service to the towns where people live, but to provide sound in the mountains and fields with agricultural, livestock or forestry activities.

Intelligent territory management will be facilitated, which allows, for example, to monitor the evolution of a forest or cattle with the digital kit of a cow, so to speak.

Is there then not one centimeter of Spanish territory without Wi-Fi? Not one where there is no data to be able to send at least one message or one email.

There will be no white zone in Spain, because one of the characteristics of the satellite is that there is no corner that escapes it. Is the top and the bottom missing? That's right.

We have the infrastructures ready and located 36,000 kilometers away, but we still need to connect down here by installing modem antennas, distributors and Wi-Fi hotspots.

With the satellite, that Spain that had not reached first base joins the digital revolution.

Eduardo Serra told me that he lived through the electrification of the country in the 1970s, now we will experience another universalization. When will it be ready? The goal is to reach 100% of the population in 2025, but I think we can bring it forward to next year.

We arrive via satellite where other technologies such as fiber optics do not.

What we do is offer a wholesale service and it is other companies that take it to the end customer.

We already have twelve agreements with operators.

And this is only the beginning. The beginning? What we are doing in Spain we want to do throughout the American continent.

We want to be the leading telecommunications, commercial services and government communications operator in America and in Spain.

This is the strategic definition.

Two years ago we would not have said so, but now we do, because we already have a base with the launch of the new generation Amazonas Nexus satellite with the capacity to illuminate the entire Atlantic Ocean and which is added to our family of satellites.

What we do is offer a wholesale service and it is other companies that take it to the end customer.

We already have twelve agreements with operators.

And this is only the beginning. The beginning? What we are doing in Spain we want to do throughout the American continent.

We want to be the leading telecommunications, commercial services and government communications operator in America and in Spain.

This is the strategic definition.

Two years ago we would not have said so, but now we do, because we already have a base with the launch of the new generation Amazonas Nexus satellite with the capacity to illuminate the entire Atlantic Ocean and which is added to our family of satellites.

What we do is offer a wholesale service and it is other companies that take it to the end customer.

We already have twelve agreements with operators.

And this is only the beginning. The beginning? What we are doing in Spain we want to do throughout the American continent.

We want to be the leading telecommunications, commercial services and government communications operator in America and in Spain.

This is the strategic definition.

Two years ago we would not have said so, but now we do, because we already have a base with the launch of the new generation Amazonas Nexus satellite with the capacity to illuminate the entire Atlantic Ocean and which is added to our family of satellites.

And this is only the beginning. The beginning? What we are doing in Spain we want to do throughout the American continent.

We want to be the leading telecommunications, commercial services and government communications operator in America and in Spain.

This is the strategic definition.

Two years ago we would not have said so, but now we do, because we already have a base with the launch of the new generation Amazonas Nexus satellite with the capacity to illuminate the entire Atlantic Ocean and which is added to our family of satellites.

And this is only the beginning. The beginning? What we are doing in Spain we want to do throughout the American continent.

We want to be the leading telecommunications, commercial services and government communications operator in America and in Spain.

This is the strategic definition.

Two years ago we would not have said so, but now we do, because we already have a base with the launch of the new generation Amazonas Nexus satellite with the capacity to illuminate the entire Atlantic Ocean and which is added to our family of satellites.

How much does Hispasat already earn outside of Spain? Almost 70% of our income already comes from Latin America.

We are not just satellite capacity managers but solution providers.

We distribute 1,300 Spanish-language television channels, but if this segment of the market does not grow, others such as connectivity and mobility will certainly do so.

Planes crossing the Atlantic, the maritime fleet or land mobility give us growth.

With Hisdesat we also offer government services. Could having the State as a shareholder in Hispasat be a barrier to entering markets in other countries? I don't think so.

Spain is a State that maintains good relations with all countries and, furthermore, we are a company with business criteria that live from what we sell in a very competitive market.

I have not seen barriers.

For example, with the Amazon Nexus we have clients as diverse as the Greenland telecommunications operator or the US Army.

Hispasat was born 30 years ago with a public impulse, but it has a very clear business dimension. But does it have enough muscle to be among the main satellite operators in the world, or will it have to merge? We are being faithful to our strategic plan of two years ago which is being fulfilled.

Organic and inorganic growth was contemplated and with the purchase of Axess [company acquired in 2022 for about 100 million] we have doubled our workforce and we are now more than 500 professionals spread all over the world.

Two weeks ago we were in Cape Canaveral launching a satellite and the last one, for example, in Sigüenza to bring connectivity to districts.

Even our participation in Motor Verde, the largest reforestation project in Spain, in which we are collaborating with Repsol, will also allow us to export certification solutions for this type of project in Latin America.

It is a pioneering project to which we have also joined as a client, by offsetting the carbon footprint linked to the launch of the Amazonas Nexus.

We are the first satellite company to carry out a similar initiative.

We also entered the constellation of satellites promoted by the European Commission.

That is Hispasat. Will this European project trigger mergers towards a kind of satellite Airbus? We will analyze how Hispasat is part of this challenge, but I envision more alliances than mergers and infrastructure sharing for specific projects.

Elon Musk has talked about investing 30.

000 million to offer satellite Internet to the whole world with Starlink.

It is true that nobody can make this investment in Europe on their own, but we are not in the process of nobody going to absorb us.

When we go to Europe, we talk face to face. What are the results of 2022?

Do you consider the deterioration of 2020 to be over? The truth is that I made my debut in the presidency with an impairment of assets.

It was a difficult year with the pandemic, but 2021 and 2022 have been very exciting.

I cannot yet say data for the year, because we belong to Red Eléctrica, a listed company, but I can assure you that we have improved revenues and profits for 2021. Can Red Eléctrica sell part of its stake in Hispasat so that your company can have more muscle? ?I feel comfortable with the current shareholding.

It gives us stability and we are solvent.

We are a country instrument and it allows Spain satellite diplomacy.

It is important for our country that Hispasat can provide connectivity to a remote valley of the Andes or corners of the Amazon. But in all countries there is more talk of strategic autonomy and not depending on others... It is a risk, but they know that Hispasat It is a reliable provider that also allows partnerships.

We offer loads on our satellites that countries manage according to their needs.

It is as if they had a drawer that only they look at.

We also help them train professionals who will know how to operate the satellite. Does it make sense for each government to appoint a president of Hispasat of their political color? Yes, because being a strategic instrument of the country it makes sense to appoint a trusted president, because the structure is totally professional.

I have not come here to sell shoes or to engage in politics, I have come to be the president who serves a project for the country. With that philosophy, aren't you frustrated that next year, if the PP wins, they will kick you out? No, because I am very respectful of democracy.

I understand the alternation.

I have met with the previous presidents of Hispasat of all political colors and we are aware of taking a baton that we will pass on to the next. Will you return to politics one day? I have always been interested in collective issues and the development of territories, but Also the business world.

Of my 30 years of working life, more than half have been in companies.

I had the opportunity to be involved in the governance of my city, my beloved Barcelona, ​​but I have been self-employed for 11 years now and with a contract with Hispasat since 2020. When I left politics,

I returned to the professional life of a company that I also chair called IdenCity, which is a consultancy for cities and territories.

I defend and practice the idea that it is okay to enter and leave politics. Why is the salary of the president of Hispasat a secret? It is not a state secret and if the government bodies decide so, I would have no objection to saying so. Is the process over? The process has mutated.

You cannot compare the Catalonia of 2017 and that of 2022. The independence movement has nothing to do with it. Will there not be a unilateral declaration of independence again? I am not a fortune teller, but I would be inclined to say no.

It is not what worries Catalonia now, but to improve infrastructures such as expanding the El Prat airport or expanding the Barcelona ring road.

I defend and practice the idea that it is okay to enter and leave politics. Why is the salary of the president of Hispasat a secret? It is not a state secret and if the government bodies decide so, I would have no objection to saying so. Is the process over? The process has mutated.

You cannot compare the Catalonia of 2017 and that of 2022. The independence movement has nothing to do with it. Will there not be a unilateral declaration of independence again? I am not a fortune teller, but I would be inclined to say no.

It is not what worries Catalonia now, but to improve infrastructures such as expanding the El Prat airport or expanding the Barcelona ring road.

I defend and practice the idea that it is okay to enter and leave politics. Why is the salary of the president of Hispasat a secret? It is not a state secret and if the government bodies decide so, I would have no objection to saying so. Is the process over? The process has mutated.

You cannot compare the Catalonia of 2017 and that of 2022. The independence movement has nothing to do with it. Will there not be a unilateral declaration of independence again? I am not a fortune teller, but I would be inclined to say no.

It is not what worries Catalonia now, but to improve infrastructures such as expanding the El Prat airport or expanding the Barcelona ring road.

Why is the salary of the president of Hispasat a secret? It is not a state secret and if the government bodies decide so, I would have no objection to saying so. Is the process over? The process has mutated.

You cannot compare the Catalonia of 2017 and that of 2022. The independence movement has nothing to do with it. Will there not be a unilateral declaration of independence again? I am not a fortune teller, but I would be inclined to say no.

It is not what worries Catalonia now, but to improve infrastructures such as expanding the El Prat airport or expanding the Barcelona ring road.

Why is the salary of the president of Hispasat a secret? It is not a state secret and if the government bodies decide so, I would have no objection to saying so. Is the process over? The process has mutated.

You cannot compare the Catalonia of 2017 and that of 2022. The independence movement has nothing to do with it. Will there not be a unilateral declaration of independence again? I am not a fortune teller, but I would be inclined to say no.

It is not what worries Catalonia now, but to improve infrastructures such as expanding the El Prat airport or expanding the Barcelona ring road.

Will there not be a unilateral declaration of independence again? I am not a fortune teller, but I would be inclined to say no.

It is not what worries Catalonia now, but to improve infrastructures such as expanding the El Prat airport or expanding the Barcelona ring road.

Will there not be a unilateral declaration of independence again? I am not a fortune teller, but I would be inclined to say no.

It is not what worries Catalonia now, but to improve infrastructures such as expanding the El Prat airport or expanding the Barcelona ring road.

Amazon Nexus.

30 YEARS IN ORBIT

Hispasat, set up by the Government of Felipe González in 1989, has completed 30 years since it put its first satellite into orbit.

Over the decades it has been changing hands until just four years ago, the Government blessed Red Eléctrica to keep it.

This company controlled by the State with 20% of the capital paid 949 million euros to Abertis to control Hispasat.

Jordi Hereu assumed the presidency in October 2020 at the proposal of the Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales.

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