The Catalan authorities have selected a contractor to develop their own fiber-optic infrastructure, which will connect all of the region’s government institutions. The results of the tender came as a surprise to many in the market: the winning bid was submitted by the Sirt-Connecta consortium, which relies on equipment from the Chinese corporation Huawei. As a result, major telecommunications giants, including Telefónica, were left out.
The XCAT Connecta project, worth 127 million euros, has sparked intense debate within the industry. The controversy is not only about its scale and budget, but also the choice of technology. Despite recommendations from the European Commission to avoid Chinese solutions in strategic infrastructure projects, the Catalan government opted for Sirt-Connecta. Authorities explained that the choice was limited: on the market, only Nokia and Huawei offer high-quality solutions, and most tender participants favored the Chinese platform.
Of the four bids submitted, three proposed using Huawei equipment, while only the consortium led by Telefónica and Tradia chose Nokia. Although Telefónica’s offer was the most attractive financially, Sirt-Connecta outperformed its competitors technically, scoring 97.51 points compared to the Spanish operator’s 96.22.
The project is set to begin in 2026 and is expected to be completed by 2031. The winning consortium includes Sirt, FOC, Deutsche Telekom, and Adamo. Sirt, which has 25 years of experience, recently signed an agreement with Indra to collaborate in cybersecurity and space technology, a move that should strengthen its position in the region.
The XCAT Connecta network aims to enhance the resilience, efficiency, and environmental sustainability of public services. By 2025, the length of fiber optic lines will exceed 8,000 kilometers, and more than 5,400 public facilities will be connected to the network. Taking into account existing connections, the total number of points will surpass 6,100.
Catalan authorities emphasize that the selection process was carried out in full compliance with the law. This is a framework agreement for the provision of services, not a direct purchase of equipment. Moreover, current legislation does not allow for the exclusion of Chinese technologies, and European recommendations only concern cybersecurity in 5G networks, which does not apply to this project.
