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Information and communications technology to Greece
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(Last updated: 04 Sep 2007)
Trends and opportunities
The market
The Greek ICT sector is estimated to be worth around €7 billion annually. The Greek Government has identified the ICT sector at all levels of society a priority and is investing heavily in the development of its infrastructure to achieve this objective with €3 billion in projects planned over the next few years.
Software development is a leading area of the industry. Product support applications in banking and finance, manufacturing and the public sector. With respect to hardware, significant expenditure is expected particularly in the area of storage systems. Most major global IT companies have offices in Greece many of which are the regional operational centres for the Balkan region (eg. Microsoft, IBM, HP, Oracle, SAP, Motorola, Bull and Siemens).
Although PC usage is low by European Union standards (23 per cent), Internet use is anticipated to grow by a substantial 50 per cent over the next two years creating opportunities in many areas including e-commerce and education. One in three households have a personal computer while 2 in 15 have an Internet connection. The use of new technology (besides mobile telephones) is still in its infancy in Greece when compared to other Western countries. Small business and education are expected to be growth sectors in the coming years.
Greece’s proximity to the developing Balkan markets makes it an ideal springboard to Southern Europe. Greek firms are the biggest investors in the region particularly in the telecommunications sector.
Telecommunications
Deregulation of the Greek telecommunications market has spurned the growth of many new small, medium and large-sized companies that have been active in developing the market and broadening the product and service base.
OTE is Greece’s major telecommunications provider and is a major player and investor in the telecommunications sectors of south eastern Europe. Greece’s use of telecommunications services far outweighs its use of other IT services and products. Expenditure on telecommunications is over six per cent of GDP and growing.
There are four providers of mobile telephone services in Greece – Cosmote, Vodafone, Stet and Q-Telecom that are constantly expanding their service offerings to consumers which view their mobile phones as essential social and business tools. The penetration of mobile phones is 70 per cent, which has prompted growing interest in next generation broadband services.
Opportunities
Opportunities are opening up in many areas including:
- Land and mobile telephone systems and infrastructure
- Optical fibre technology
- Internet services
- ICT hardware and software
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Tariffs, regulations and customs
Even though Greece is heading towards the European Union (EU) harmonised trade system, it is still applying a Value Added Tax of 18 per cent on computers, plus 0.15 per cent on the total invoice amount. The EU has a harmonised trade system for all member states.
Common Customs Tariff (CCT) is applicable to goods from non-EU countries, including Australia. Most duties are ad valorem (%), based on the GATT Valuation Code (approximate CIF value).
Before shipping any goods to Europe, you should obtain a written customs duty ruling from the local customs service. These rulings are called Binding Tariff Information (BTI). Obtaining a BTI is free and will prevent any conflict over customs or excise duty.
Industry standards
The following public sectors are good contacts:
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Marketing your products and services
Market entry
Greek firms are always on the look-out for joint venture partners, new products and services, and new technologies to introduce into Greece and regional markets. In order for companies to be successful in the Greek market, it is essential to have a good Greek partner that is familiar with local business practices and has contacts with the key decision makers.
It is important to keep in mind that Greece is the biggest international investor in the telecommunications sectors of many Balkan countries and this may be an ideal way for Australian firms to access these markets. Companies such as OTE and INTRAKOM are considered to be major players in the region. OTE has involvement in the telecommunications sectors in Albania, Armenia, Jordan, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, Yemen, Bulgaria, Georgia and Lithuania.
Through alliances with local firms, Australian companies can access opportunities in both the Greek public and private sectors. The marketing strategy for particular products and services will depend on the target market segment.
Trade shows are available for marketing your products and services:
- Comdex (Athens, north Attica) - held every February
- Infosystem (Thessaloniki) - held every October
- Electromechanica (Athens) - held every March
Online trading and e-commerce is not as widespread in Greece as it is in other European Union countries although it is anticipated that increasingly more customers will use these systems in the future.
Distribution channels
Products and services are marketed in Greece through business-to-business and business-to-customer trade sectors directly or through wholesale/retail systems. Australian product suppliers will need to establish a relationship with a distributor. Service providers can work directly with end-users or through a local partner. |
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Contact details
The Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) is the Australian Government’s trade and investment development agency, operating as a statutory agency within the Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio.
Austrade assists Australian businesses contribute to national prosperity by succeeding in trade and investment, internationally, and promoting and supporting productive foreign investment into Australia.
Austrade:
- Delivers services that assist Australian businesses initiate, sustain and grow trade and outward investment.
- Promotes Australia as an inward investment destination and, with the States and Territories, supports the inflow of productive foreign direct investment.
- Administers the Export Market Development Grants scheme.
- Undertakes initiatives designed to improve community awareness of, and commitment to, international trade and investment.
- Provides advice to the Australian Government on its trade and investment development activities.
- Delivers consular, passport and other government services in designated overseas locations.
A list of Austrade offices (in alphabetical order of country) is available.
More information
For further information please contact Austrade on 13 28 78 or email info@austrade.gov.au |
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