Reminder - Moving from Newsletters to Notifications (24/02/2022)
We are going to improve and automate the way in which you will be informed about our topics. In order to allow for a more personalised selection, we will move in the near future from the current newsletter format to a notification system. In order to benefit, you will need to subscribe to this notification service which will inform you of relevant website updates. You'll be able to choose from a wide range of topics those you want to be informed on. You can also choose the frequency of the notifications. So if you want to keep receiving news from us, please visit the notification subscription page and subscribe to the notifications.
Broadband Cost Reduction Directive: workshop to present the results of the study for the review of the Directive (27/01/2022)
On 27 January, there will be an online workshop to present the results of the study for the Commission’s review of the Broadband Cost Reduction Directive. The contractors carrying out the study, WIK-consult, together with ICF and Eco-Act, will present the results of the analysis and answer participants’ questions.
Last days to apply for the European Broadband Awards 2022 (17/01/2022)
All projects delivering broadband internet to citizens that are advanced in implementation, targeting rural or urban areas, supported by private or public investors, local, regional, national or cross-border are welcome to apply for the European Broadband Awards by 31 January 2022. The winners will receive an EU Broadband Award and will be showcased by the European Commission as good examples in social media and websites.
Apply for the European Broadband Awards by 31 January 2022 (19/05/2021)
To allow more participants to travel and attend the event in person, the broadband award ceremony has been rescheduled to spring of 2022. Consequently, the deadline for applying for the European Broadband Awards has also been extended until the 31st of January 2022. All projects advanced in implementation, targeting rural or urban areas, supported by private or public investors, local, regional, national or cross-border are welcome to apply. The winners will receive an EU Broadband Award and will be showcased in this newsletter and related social media and websites.
Commission to invest nearly €2 billion in delivering digital advances to business, citizens, and public administrations (10/11/2021)
The Commission has adopted three work programmes for the Digital Europe Programme, outlining the objectives and specific topic areas that will receive a total of €1.98 billion in funding. This first set of work programmes includes strategic investments that will be instrumental in realising the Commission's goals in making this Europe's Digital Decade.
WiFi4EU - Bouches-du-Rhône (18/11/2021)
Discover how #WiFi4EU improved the daily life of citizens and helped boost the attractiveness of the French Department Bouches-du-Rhône.
Harnessing innovation to unlock the potential of rural and remote areas (09/12/2021)
Digitalisation has enormous potential to transform life and opportunities in rural and remote areas. Our recent experience has proven that digitalisation can bridge physical distances to bring opportunities and services to us no matter where we live – so long as we have good digital connectivity. Yet, paradoxically, the exponential role of digital connectivity, services and skills over the past couple of decades has exacerbated rural-urban disparities, where it should have healed them.
Multiannual work programme for 2021-2025 - Connecting Europe Facility - Digital (16/12/2021)
The multiannual financing decision, constituting the multiannual work programme for the implementation of the Connecting Europe Facility – Digital sector for the period 2021-2025, was adopted on 16 December 2021.
Commission to invest more than €1 billion under the Connecting Europe Facility for innovative and secure connectivity (16/12/2021)
The Commission adopted the first Work Programme for the digital part of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF Digital), which defines the scope and objectives of the EU-supported actions needed to improve Europe's digital connectivity infrastructures for 3 years.
Updated Study on National Broadband Plans in the EU27 (29/10/2021)
The updated study on National Broadband Plans summarises connectivity measures in Member States in view of the Digital Agenda and Gigabit Society targets. Only few MS are close to reaching the DAE targets 2020, yet the overall progress made in the EU is substantial. Most MS have to intensify their efforts to reach the Gigabit Society targets. The investment measures in the frame of the Recovery & Resilience Plans and the Connecting Europe Facility Digital will facilitate reaching the targets by 2025.
Call for Tenders for the Support Facility for Broadband Competent Offices (18/10/2021)
The Commission opened a call for tenders aimed at finding a contractor to support the network of Broadband Competence Offices in enabling EU funds allocation for broadband investments.
Broadband coverage in Europe 2020 (12/11/2021)
The Commission has published a new study mapping progress towards the broadband coverage objectives of the digital agenda.
Have Your Say: The Next Generation Internet (NGI) initiative’s future direction (27/10/2021)
The Next Generation Internet initiative is deeply engaged in delivering the technologies implementing the vision of an Internet of Humans, providing a trustworthy digital experience to internet end-users with more user choice, control and participation.
Digital Economy and Society Index 2021 (12/11/2021)
The Commission published the results of the 2021 Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), which tracks digital progress made in EU Member States in key areas.
First calls for proposals under the Digital Europe Programme are launched in digital tech and European Digital Innovation Hubs (17/11/2021)
The Commission announced this week the first set of calls for proposals under the Digital Europe Programme. This follows the adoption of the work programmes allocating nearly €2 billion for investments aimed to advance on the digital transition.
State Aid: Commission invites comments on proposed revision of EU State aid rules for deployment of broadband networks (22/11/2021)
The European Commission has launched a targeted public consultation inviting all interested parties to comment on a proposed revision of the Guidelines on State aid rules for broadband networks (the Broadband Guidelines).
Introducing the Path to the Digital Decade (23/11/2021)
“It is really important that we make sure that everybody has the opportunity to be part of the digital society because, to a certain extent, it is the society into which we have moved” states Rita Wezenbeek, Director of Connectivity within the Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology, in this short video.
Investing in Local and Regional Gigabit Networks in the European Union (07/12/2021)
Save the date! A one-day digital infrastructure investor online workshop to bring together private and public actors from the industry and the investor community, EU Member States and Commission Services.
Stakeholder Workshop on 5G corridor deployment in the perspective of CEF2-Digital and the Recovery and Resilience Plan (20/10/2021)
On 20 October 2021, the 5G IA Working Group on 5G for Connected and Automated Mobility (5G CAM WG), supported by ERTICO and DG CONNECT, organises a workshop focusing on the deployment of 5G networks along major transport paths to enable advanced Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) services.
WiFi4EU - 3 simple steps to make your town digital (01/10/2021)
More than 5,500 municipalities across Europe have installed their WiFi4EU networks. Are you a WiFi4EU beneficiary? Do you want to know more about the steps needed to redeem your €15,000 voucher? Watch this new WiFi4EU video to learn all about the process and transform your town into a digital town!
WiFi4EU in the region of Madeira, Portugal (05/10/2021)
Discover how WiFi4EU is a great success in the main cities of the outermost region of Madeira.
HofladenBOX: Bavaria’s award-winning digital platform boosts rural business with EU funds (12/10/2021)
2021 Rural Inspiration Awards Winner, HofladenBOX digital platform’s online marketplace connects small local producers with customers to boost rural business in Fürth district, Bavaria. “We wanted to change the way we purchase our food” explains Mareike Schalk, who founded HofladenBOX with Birgit Wegner using EU LEADER funds. Creating a local market reduces costs and emissions, and supports the development of this rural area with jobs and improved services. Connectivity is essential for HofladenBOX: “To keep rural areas attractive, it is important to have the same connectivity as in cities.”
WiFi4EU stories: an interview with the Mayor of Litovel, Czechia (20/08/2021)
Litovel, a hidden gem of Moravia located about 200 km east of Prague, is one of 312 municipalities that has used a WiFi4EU voucher in Czechia, demonstrating great dedication to the country’s recently approved strategy for digital transformation (under the name of Digitální Česko, Digital Czechia).
EU Regions Week workshop: Rural connections - green and digital innovation to unlock the potential of rural and remote areas (14/10/2021)
This workshop explores how recent innovation can improve the vitality and sustainability of rural and remote communities - from health, education and digitalisation to mobility and agriculture.
2021 Annual Conference of the European Broadband Competence Offices Network (26/10/2021)
Marking the BCO Network's five-year milestone, the 2021 Annual Conference will address important EU policy and funding developments, as well as BCOs' achievements and goals. The agenda will include Rural Digital Futures, Gigabit targets and the Digital Compass, EU Structural Funds and the Recovery and Resilience Facility, State aid and evolving technology, and CEF2 Digital. The final agenda will be shared with participants directly. This online event is open to all members of the European Broadband Competence Offices Network.
WiFi4EU: second online workshop for WiFi Installation Companies (29/09/2021)
This one-hour online workshop (10:00-11:00 CEST) is dedicated to WiFi Installation Companies involved in the WiFi4EU initiative. Its objective is to answer their questions in order to help overcome hurdles and accelerate network deployment. This workshop is an important opportunity in view of the approaching deadline, which risks the loss of municipalities’ € 15,000 WiFi4EU vouchers.
EU Electronic Communications Code: Commission calls on Member States to fully transpose new telecom rules into national law (23/09/2021)
The Commission has sent this week a reasoned opinion to Estonia, Spain, Croatia, Ireland, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia and Sweden for not having notified the Commission about the full transposition of the European Electronic Communications Code.
Meet the jury of the European Broadband Awards 2022 (24/08/2021)
The projects applying for the European Broadband Awards will be assessed by a jury composed of five European broadband experts with comprehensive experience. The jury will select the finalists and the winners in each of the five award categories. The jury members are: Per-Olof Gustafsson from Sweden, Ferenc Kneisz from Hungary, Filip Meuris from Belgium, Eglė Misienė from Lithuania and Nicos Ioannou from Cyprus.
Discover how improving connectivity and citizens' access to digital public services has become the common goal of Italian national and local authorities and the European Commission.
State aid: Commission adopted extension of GBER simplifying rules for aid combined with EU funding and for certain aid measures that support the digital transition (27/07/2021)
The European Commission adopted an extension of the scope of the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER), which will allow Member States to implement certain aid measures without prior Commission scrutiny. In order to facilitate the digital transition, including in the context of the recovery, the amendment of the GBER simplifies, among others, the rules for supporting the roll-out of fixed broadband networks (in areas with less than 30 Mbps, in areas with less than 100 Mbps connectivity and in some situations in areas with at least 100Mbps but less than 300Mbps), the roll-out of 5G or 4G mobile networks (in areas with no 4G or respectively no 3G coverage) and certain investments for the energy efficiency and digitalisation of buildings (including in-house wiring). The amendment also introduces new rules for aid schemes for certain vouchers for consumers in order to facilitate teleworking, online education, training services, or for SMEs. Furthermore, the GBER foresees new exemptions from notification for certain projects selected in a Connecting Europe Facility call or granted a Seal of Excellence thereunder, including for investments in cross-border sections of 5G corridors, of submarine cables and of certain backbones for cloud and high-performance infrastructure.
Commission publishes study for the future 5G supply ecosystem in Europe (09/08/2021)
The European Commission has published a study on 5G market trends and plausible developments of the 5G supply market looking to 2030.
Bavaria’s State aid scheme brings gigabit connectivity to socio-economic drivers in grey areas (26/08/2021)
Bavaria’s State aid scheme is bringing gigabit-capable infrastructure to businesses, households, hospitals, educational and public institutions, in more than 420 rural municipalities. The scheme aims to bring Bavaria’s overall high-speed broadband coverage to 99%, with gigabit access throughout Bavaria by 2025. For rural areas, State funding has improved coverage (of at least 30 Mbps) from 27% to over 92% in the last seven years, notes Bavarian State Minister for Finance and Regional Identity, Albert Füracker, in this video interview.
Rural broadband enables smart and responsive water management (26/08/2021)
In this video, Jouke Velstra, Director and Senior Consultant at Acacia Water, explains how the EU-funded ‘Farmers measure water’ project combines high-speed rural broadband and state-of-the-art sensors to help farmers and water authorities in the Netherlands to better manage water usage in the face of climate change. Through rapidly relaying data on soil moisture, temperature and salinity, farmers and water authorities work together to keep crops healthy, improve water and soil quality, and reduce water waste.
Catalonia’s EU-funded fibre network connects over 400 government sites and promotes competitive rural digital services (26/08/2021)
Thanks to the European Regional Development Fund, Catalonia built a fibre backbone to connect over 400 government and local administration sites across the region. By offering the network’s extra capacity to the market, this ‘open network’ allows local operators to compete to use the infrastructure and deploy services to under-served rural areas. “We have generated an ecosystem of over 80 local operators to promote competence and competitiveness in these local areas with very high-quality services”, explains David Ferrer, Catalonian’s Secretary of Digital Policies, in this video interview.
Connectivity: key to revitalising rural areas (30/06/2021)
The Commission published a Communication on the 'Long term vision for rural areas' by 2040, noting connectivity as a key element in revitalising local communities.
Eurobarometer: Europeans’ use and views of electronic communications in the EU (29/06/2021)
The Commission published the results of the Special Eurobarometer survey on E-communications, showing recent trends in electronic communications across the EU.
Digital Alps: Partnering with Broadband Competence Offices to build a digital connectivity roadmap for the Alpine Region (08/07/2021)
Mountain regions have much to gain from digitalisation and broadband connectivity. There is great potential for Smart Villages, SMEs, and access to online services in healthcare, education and much more. Mountain communities, however, face greater obstacles than most in becoming full participants in the European Union’s Digital Decade. Their remoteness, in terms of distance and topography, combined with smaller populations, make them technically and financially challenging to reach with broadband infrastructure.
European Parliament adopted Connecting Europe Facility CEF-2 programme and released new funds for digital, transport and energy projects for 2021-2027 (19/07/2021)
The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF2) programme, worth EUR 30 billion for 2021 to 2027, will fund digital, transport and energy projects. CEF is structured around three pillars, with around EUR 23 billion for transport projects, EUR 5 billion for energy projects and EUR 2 billion for digital projects. CEF2 Digital will support the development of projects of common interest, such as safe and secure very high capacity digital networks and 5G systems, backbones connecting digital capacities such as cloud and HPC, quantum communication infrastructures, submarine cables as well as the digitalisation of transport and energy networks. CEF2 will facilitate the roll-out of Gigabit networks and digital transformation for people and businesses in Europe.
Consultation and discussion forum on the EU’s 2030 Digital Decade vision (22/06/2021)
The Commission launched a consultation and a discussion forum in view of preparing the Digital Decade policy programme, building upon the Communication on the Digital targets for 2030.
“In our journey to digital maturity, affordable high-speed broadband is key for a dynamic digital economy and an accessible and inclusive digital society” states Stelios Himonas of Cyprus’ Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy. Only 2.7% of households in Cyprus, however, have fixed connections above 100 Mbps. In this video, Mr Himonas explains how Cyprus implemented a ‘good practice’ voucher scheme, inspired by the European Broadband Competence Offices Network. By reducing the cost of access for end users, the scheme successfully stimulated take-up by around 3,000 households.
Achieving agricultural sustainability through the Farm Advisory System and rural digitalisation (18/06/2021)
The Farm Advisory System makes innovative knowledge and practices accessible to all farmers. “We are facing a major transformation of the agricultural sector that requires a shift towards more environmentally-friendly practices without undermining economic sustainability” explains Tassos Haniotis, Director of Strategy, Simplification and Policy Analysis in the European Commission’s Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development. Digitalisation and rural broadband are crucial, enhancing knowledge exchange and creating multiplier effects, such as new jobs and services in rural areas.
Spain’s nation-wide State aid scheme to connect 430,000 people in grey areas (18/06/2021)
“Spain is the first European country to develop a broadband scheme for grey areas with a geographical scope covering all the nation” states Elena Galindo from Spain’s Ministry of Energy, Tourism and Digital Agenda, in this video. Ms Galindo, representing Spain’s national Broadband Competence Office, explains that the scheme is needed as approximately “8-10% of the population living in isolated rural and remote areas could not be covered with fast broadband”. It aims to cover 3.5 million people, of which 430,000 in grey areas, with minimum speeds of 300 Mbps symmetrical, upgradeable to 1 Gbps.
Rural connectivity for the health and management of beehives (18/06/2021)
In rural Latvia, an EU-funded start-up is using digital connectivity to promote healthy bee colonies and modern hive management. Thanks to €15,000 in LEADER funding covering two thirds of the total budget, Jānis Kronbergs developed the BeeKing app, which aims to help beekeepers – and especially newcomers – to learn from others, implement best practices and become more efficient. In this video, he explains the tool as well as its motivation, saying that “bees are very important for our nature, for pollination and biodiversity” and digital technologies can help beekeepers stay competitive.
New digital data highway linking Europe and Latin America renews transatlantic cooperation (01/06/2021)
The EllaLink transatlantic cable connecting the European and South American continents was inaugurated during the Digital Assembly 2021.
This marks the official closing of the connectivity gap thanks to 6,000 kilometres of submarine cable, reducing the current latency by 50% and bringing it under 60 milliseconds.
Workshop on Broadband Cost Reduction Directive: preliminary results of study for its review (16/06/2021)
On two occasions, on 16 and 18 of June, WIK-Consult, together with ICF and Eco-Act, the contractors in charge of the study for the review of the Broadband Cost Reduction Directive (BCRD), are organising a public online workshop to gather and discuss views on the preliminary results of their study.
