Specific objective

To provide access to broadband infrastructure in the context of transition to information society.

Operation rationale

The operation aims to support the process of overcoming the underdevelopment in technological advance, knowledge-based economy and information society by providing access to broadband inftastructure.

Although it is normal to expect market mechanisms to stimulate and contribute greatly to ensuring the establishment of basic telecommunications infrastructure of national importance, in reality there are significant gaps in the local connection with such infrastructure and the consequent lack of provision of services population. This applies most strongly to less densely populated and economically underdeveloped, and rural areas of the country where it is not always economically justified for the private sector to invest in the development of electronic communications infrastructure and the development of information and communication services.. These settlements are located in the "white" and "gray" areas, according to the classification guidelines of the European Commission for the implementation of State aid.

It is this inability of pure market forces alone to provide automatic development of e-communications infrastructure for broadband access, broadband services, respectively, timely, affordable to all citizens regardless of their geographical location within the country, that justifies the need for state intervention to protect the public interest.

In this sense, the operation will support the completion of the modernization of telecommunications transmission network, expansion of the local telecommunications network in sparsely populated, economically undeveloped and rural areas of the country (located in the "white" and "gray" area) and future digitization of this network.. Upporting the development of telecommunications transmission network and the expansion of the local telecommunications network in remote areas the operation will provide the necessary economic incentive for private business, that shall use an "open access" to the built by the state infrastructure in order to develop  and provide the relevant broadband services.

To achieve higher efficiency of investment large number of people will be covered. Moreover, the investment will be realized in areas where along with the above conditions, there are cumulatively other favorable conditions like:

• presence of public institutions as a prerequisite for active public relations and social activities (schools, hospitals, community centers, etc..)
• presence of economic activity, or prerequisites for its emergence (tourism, farming, etc..)
• presence of willing or readiness for use in the population of broadband services;
• opportunities for realization of successful forms of public private partnership.

For the selected areas  it is necessary to build their broadband backbone connectivity to existing communications networks to broadband access with national significance. Within this process it is significant to build an infrastructure of regional or municipal cities, which reaches to the existing broadband  networks  and backbone in medium and smaller settlements to reach out to their constituent municipalities and localities selected for support.. To achieve the above objectives, technologically neutral design decisions  will be implemented.

After building the communication infrastructure, providing an opportunity for broadband access to the targeted areas and settlements, all willing private operators will be given access to the infrastructure on equal terms to use it exclusively for  provision of broadband services to the population.

List of indicative activities to be supported

• Construction of broadband connections to urban peripherial areas and less urbanized territories and rural areas;
• Development of critical, secure, dependable and trusted public-owned infrastructure.

Beneficiaries

Executive Agency “Electronic Communication Networks and Information Systems”

Last modified: Wednesday, September 14, 2011 3:18 PM