Christina Stephanidou

CYTA

Cyta was established with the aim of providing, maintaining and developing a comprehensive telecommunications service, both nationally and internationally. Cyta is considered to be the leading provider of integrated electronic communications services in Cyprus. Making the best of the island's geographical location, Cyta has developed an extensive submarine fibre optic cable network linking Cyprus with neighboring countries such as Greece, Israel, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt and, by extension, with the rest of the world. At the same time, Cyta has also developed an equally impressive satellite earth station infrastructure and all this has justifiably turned Cyprus into a regional telecommunications hub. Cyta provides a broad range of services and facilities which aim to satisfy the ever-increasing needs of its customers for voice and data applications in both fixed and mobile telephony. Particular emphasis is placed on the provision of value added services, such as content/multimedia via the Internet which, by all accounts, will be the dominant business activity of the next decade. Following the liberalization of telecommunications in Cyprus, Cyta faces the challenge of the convergence of telecommunications, information technology and multimedia, as well as that brought about by changes to the social, legal and political environment, especially since Cyprus became a full member of the European Union. Cyta has repositioned itself as a comprehensive/integrated electronic communications provider. The development of broadband and quadruple play services composes the spearhead of Cyta's strategy. Cyta was the first organization in Cyprus to be assessed in accordance with the excellence model of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) and to be awarded the highest five-star "Recognized for Excellence" ranking. Furthermore, it is the largest organization within the broader state sector in Cyprus to have obtained ISO 9001:2000 Quality Certification.