The European Broadband Competence Offices Network Support Facility
The French region of Guadeloupe is an archipelago of six islands in the Caribbean, home to approximately 388,000 people. Although most of the population lives on the two main islands, small communities of around 1000 inhabitants live on the smaller southern islands. For the region and its inhabitants, sub-marine cable broadband connectivity between the islands and to the mainland is vitally important, especially in terms of resilience to cyclones and other natural hazards. Built thanks to EU funding under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), it opens the possibility of remote working, of keeping in touch with the wider world and, importantly, it allows the practice of tele-medicine, meaning that the inhabitants of the southern islands no longer need to travel by sea or by air in order to reach a doctor.
“EU funds for Outermost Regions are extremely important for the development of these territories which are lagging behind the rest of Europe. Economic development cannot be envisioned without digitalisation. ” – Jean-Gabriel Quillin, Director of Digital Transition, Region of Guadeloupe.
Find out more
- Europe’s Digital Decade
- EU digital policy and strategy: Shaping Europe’s Digital Future
This interview was filmed as part of the European Broadband Competence Offices (BCO) Network’s work to raise awareness of EU support for high-speed broadband deployment and share good practices in broadband projects. Discover more interviews in the BCO Network YouTube playlist and more broadband good practices, news and resources in the BCO Network Library.