The Public Company Itelazpi was created by the Basque Government under the Decree 215/2003 on 23rd September. Over the past 8 years, the company has provided telecommunication services and has managed public communications infrastructures.

Throughout this period, Itelazpi has worked towards achieving five main objectives: to provide transport services and broadcasting coverage to radio and television, particularly those channels pertaining to the Basque public service EiTB; to manage public communication network infrastructures, offering housing services to third parties; to provide TETRA communication services to Basque government services; to extend the provision of broadband internet access to rural areas; and to provide communications consulting services to the public sector.

Over the course of these 8 years, Itelazpi has successfully placed an extensive and modern network of transmission centres, located throughout the entire Basque region, at the disposal of the Government. The service is then offered directly to its clients, also facilitating the provision of services by other operators, thereby improving their asset performance ratio and minimising the environmental impact which is caused by the blanket provision of services throughout the Basque Country.

Among the initiatives implemented by Itelazpi throughout this period, one of the most significant, based on the international impact it has had, has been the expansion of broadband services to serve rural areas. This initiative has been awarded by several bodies, such as, for example, the Wireless Internet Institute in America.   In the same way, and applying innovation in the Broadcast area, a significant development has been the regeneration of the digital TV signal. This has been achieved in conjunction with providers, and has meant that clients living in rural/isolated areas in the Basque Country can now receive an improved service.

With regards to the implementation and operation of the TETRA network, the public organisation has signed collaboration agreements for its use by important bodies, such as the Aguas de Bilbao Consortium, Metro Bilbao, Euskal Trenbide Sarea (ETS), and meteorology and security services in the Basque Country.

Itelazpi has also participated in various plans, such as the Master Plan for Information Systems, the Public Innovation Plan and the Corporate Social Responsibility Second Plan. It has also compiled the Emissions Guide and, together with the Basque Government, it has prepared the Plan for Coverage and Telecommunication Infrastructures in the Basque Country.  Similarly, the company has adhered to the guidelines for transparent management issued by the Basque Government itself, such as the Ethical Code, the Good Governance Code, and Risk Management.

Throughout 2011, Itelazpi has presided over UNIRED -the Spanish Association of Autonomous Telecommunications Operators- and has installed a telecommunications museum in its facilities in Zamudio.

From an internal perspective, Itelazpi implements a management system based on the EFQM model, which is process-based and attaches integral importance to stakeholder interests. To this end, over the years, Itelazpi has installed various specific portals for providers, customers, collaborators and shareholders, where all relevant information and documentation is easily accessible and completely transparent.  In the same way, satisfaction surveys completed by said stakeholders have been carried out, for which the rating obtained invariably exceeds the objectives that have been set and for which the average level of satisfaction is extremely high.

In terms of management, at Itelazpi there are two areas of particular interest. One of these areas is the company’s environmental performance and the other is the issue of corporate social responsibility (particularly in regards to the protection of people and transparency of the business management).

In line with the first point, over the course of 2011, Itelazpi has devised the company’s Strategic Plan for the Environment, aligning it with the Government’s own Environmental Strategy, in which future courses of action to be taken in this area are outlined. Under the framework of the environmental measures that have been implemented, Itelazpi has recently installed a repeater system in Lastur, with an innovative hybrid energy power supply system, using renewable energy sources and which will soon be exposed in the Science Museum in San Sebastian. In addition, it has implemented a policy of Green Procurement, and has designed environmental education workshops through agreements with education centres.

With regards to corporate social responsibility, since 2008, Itelazpi has held the OHSAS certification and it collaborates with EMAKUNDE (Basque Women’s Institute). In addition, it is actively committed to transparency and to the corporate responsibility of the public administration, as well as to continuing its current good practices, such as participating in improvement groups led by QEPEA.