The Generalitat of Catalonia has received six bids for a €376 million telecom contract. Proposals include major operators and alliances. The process unfolds amid ongoing legal disputes and sector scrutiny.
The Generalitat of Catalonia has entered a decisive phase in its largest telecom procurement to date, as six contenders have submitted bids for a €376 million contract to overhaul the region’s public network infrastructure. The Centre de Telecomunicacions i Tecnologies de la Informació (CTTI) confirmed that the tender, which will shape the digital backbone of Catalonia’s public sector for years, has attracted both individual companies and powerful alliances.
Among the solo bidders are Telefónica, Sirt, and Econocom, each seeking to secure a share of the multi-lot agreement. The remaining three offers come from consortia featuring Deutsche Telekom, Orange, and Nunsys, reflecting the scale and complexity of the project. The contract is structured into several lots, with a principal block of €206 million earmarked for the direct deployment and operational management of institutional data networks across Catalan government entities.
The technical objectives of the tender focus on reducing operational data costs, strengthening cybersecurity, and ensuring high-capacity connections at administrative nodes. The outcome will directly impact connectivity and digital services in public offices, hospitals, schools, and police stations throughout the region.
This high-profile competition unfolds against a backdrop of legal disputes that have marked recent CTTI tenders. In parallel with the current process, the CTTI is embroiled in a judicial conflict over the previous awarding of the XCAT fiber optic network contract, valued at €127 million. That contract, intended to link 5,000 public sites, was granted to a temporary joint venture between Sirt and Connecta, using Huawei equipment. Telefónica challenged the decision after its initial appeal was rejected by the Catalan Public Sector Contracts Tribunal, escalating the matter to the courts.
Alongside the €376 million tender and the XCAT litigation, the CTTI has also launched a separate process—CTTI-2026-116—at the end of June 2026. This parallel tender, with a base budget of €124 million (potentially rising to €223.6 million with extensions), covers the supply of equipment, licensing, network projects, and cybersecurity maintenance for Catalonia’s public sector over an initial two-year period.
The CTTI’s procurement board is now set to begin the technical and financial evaluation of the six bids for the main contract, a step that will determine the future of Catalonia’s public digital infrastructure. The process is being closely watched, not only for its financial scale but also for its implications for service quality and security in the region’s public administration.
Major infrastructure decisions in Catalonia often spark debate and legal scrutiny, as seen in other sectors such as transport. For example, recent discussions about reintroducing tolls on the AP-7 motorway to address congestion and safety concerns have also drawn significant attention, as detailed in this report on regional transport policy shifts.
Telecommunications contracts of this magnitude are rare in Spain’s regional administrations. The outcome will set a benchmark for future public sector digitalization projects, with the winning bidders expected to play a central role in shaping Catalonia’s connectivity, security, and operational efficiency for years to come. The sector will be watching closely as the evaluation phase progresses and the final awards are announced.
