EU aim to speed up roll-out of high-speed networks
Internet technology - Image by mohamed Hassan on Pixabay
(BRUSSELS) - The European Parliament and EU Council struck a deal Tuesday on the gigabit infrastructure act, to accelerate the deployment of gigabit network infrastructure for high-speed networks across Europe.
The agreement comes at the same time of adoption of the Recommendation on the regulatory promotion of gigabit connectivity (Gigabit Recommendation).
The Gigabit Infrastructure Act introduces a set of actions to simplify and speed up the deployment of very high-capacity networks, such as fibre and 5G, by reducing the administrative burden and the costs of deployment.
The full availability of gigabit networks and the rollout of 5G performant networks in all populated areas are key elements to support the digital transition of the European economy and society, as set out in the EU's digital transition targets for 2030, the Digital Decade policy programme.
"By unifying the network across the whole territory, we are building bridges into a wider European ecosystem, demonstrating our interest in Europe-wide harmonisation," said Mathieu Michel, Belgian Secretary of State for digitalisation: "This initiative will not only promote fast connectivity for our fellow citizens, but also economies of scale for the operators and businesses involved."
The Gigabit Recommendation provides guidelines to National Regulation Authorities on how to design access remedy obligations for operators with significant market power, to guarantee fair competition and at the same time to foster the rollout of gigabit networks by ensuring that all operators can have access to existing network infrastructures.