Broadband in Spain

Summary of broadband development in Spain

The Spain Digital Agenda supports EU connectivity objectives. It aims to extend ultrafast network coverage to the entire population and prepare 100% of the radio spectrum for 5G by 2025. These objectives are set out in the Plan for Connectivity and Digital Infrastructures and the Strategy to Promote 5G Technology.

National broadband strategy and policy

Responsible authorities

• The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Enterprise (Ministerio de Economía, Comercio y Empresa) is responsible for drafting and coordinating plans, technological programmes and actions to advance connectivity and digital transformation in Spain.
• The National Commission of Markets and Competition (Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia) is responsible for regulating all markets and productive sectors of the Spanish economy to ensure free competition and consumer protection.

Main aims and measures for broadband development

The Spain Digital Agenda, approved in 2020 and updated in 2022, outlines strategic priorities to advance the country's digital transformation in line with EU Gigabit objectives. The agenda is structured around ten strategic axes and two cross-cutting axes, which are framed by three dimensions reflecting the Digital Decade Policy Programme: (i) infrastructure and technology; (ii) economy; and (iii) people. Regarding broadband, it aims to guarantee 100 Mbps coverage for the entire population by closing the digital gap between urban and rural areas. Moreover, it seeks to advance 5G deployment by preparing the entire radio spectrum accordingly.

To achieve the broadband objectives contained in the Spain Digital 2025 Agenda, the Spanish Government published the Digital Infrastructures and Connectivity Plan and the Strategy for the promotion of 5G technology in December 2020. The plan outlines actions to cover 100% of the population with more than 100 Mbps by 2025. It focuses on rural areas that are not covered by the operators’ own deployment plans. Moreover, the plan includes measures to achieve 1 Gbps connectivity in data-intensive industry and research areas.

The Strategy for the promotion of 5G technology complements the national connectivity plan to account for the different level of maturity and transformational impact of 5G compared to, e.g., fibre. The strategy outlines actions to improve spectrum assignment and management, and incentivise 5G deployment and use, including through an updated regulatory and legal framework.

The National Telecommunications and Information Society Observatory (ONTSI) provides public information on the digital transformation to support the assessment and, where necessary, adjustment of measures developed within the framework of the Spain Digital Agenda.

The roadmap to implement the Connectivity Toolbox includes several measures to reduce costs. The main measures include streamlining permit granting procedures, improving the single information point and increasing the transparency of physical infrastructure.

National and regional broadband financial instruments

• The implementation of the Spain Digital Agenda is financed with public funds from the various EU programmes and financing instruments under the Next Generation EU Recovery Plan. This is expected to be complemented by around EUR 50 billion from the private sector.
• The Plan for Connectivity and Digital Infrastructures and the Strategy to Promote 5G Technology is expected to receive EUR 4.3 billion in public funding between 2020 and 2025. It is expected that private investment to the tune of an additional EUR 24 billion will be secured within this period.
• Spain's Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) includes significant investments to close the existing digital divide between urban and rural areas in fixed and mobile broadband networks. For example, the expansion of ultra-fast broadband connectivity (above 100 Mbps) mainly in rural areas and areas of historical value, which currently do not have such connectivity, will be supported via funding of EUR 812 million. Several measures specifically support 5G connectivity and the plan includes reforms to reduce costs and facilitate deployment.
• Among the RRP measures, the UNICO-Banda Ancha programme has allocated EUR 250 million in the 2021 call to provide ultrafast fixed broadband networks in rural, remoted and less populated areas. This programme is an evolution of the previous national funding programme PEBA-NGA that supported the roll out of next-generation broadband networks in Spain from 2013 to 2020 and was co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
• Regarding 5G strategy to incentivise roll-out, main relevant financial measures included in the RRP have been set. Among others, the extension of the duration of 700 MHz licences (minimum 20 years with potential 20 years of prorogue) and some taxation reforms, such as the temporary reduction of annual spectrum tax for 5G bands, and the review of the operators´ contributions to the annual tax to finance Spanish public television (TV tax) were introduced. On 15 December 2021, European Commission approved EUR 150 million Spanish scheme under Recovery and Resilience Facility to support deployment of passive infrastructure for mobile networks

Data on broadband development and technologies in Spain

For the latest data on broadband coverage, take-up, subscriptions and penetrations, coverage of different broadband technologies check the country reports of the Digital Economy & Society Index (DESI).

Spectrum assignments for wireless broadband

For details on harmonised spectrum assignments, please consult the European 5G Observatory report.

National and EU publications and press documents

English

• Presentation of the Digital Spain 2025 Agenda
• Broadband Investment Handbook
• Mobile and Fixed Broadband Prices in Europe 2022
• Study on National Broadband Plans in the EU27
• Broadband Connectivity Reports and Analyses

Spanish

• España Digital
• Plan para la Conectividad y las Infraestructuras Digitales de la sociedad, la economía y los territorios*
• Estrategia de Impulso de la Tecnología 5G*

*both documents are available at the bottom of the webpage.

Contact information

BCO Spain (national Broadband Competence Office): Spanish Ministry of Economy, Trade and Enterprise

Address: Paseo de la Castellana 162, 28046 Madrid, Spain
Contact via email
Phone: +34 91 34 62 721
Website

Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures (Secretaría de Estado Telecomunicaciones e Infraestructuras Digitales)

Address: Paseo de la Castellana 160, 28046 Madrid, Spain
Contact via email
Phone: +34 91 349 46 40
Website

National Commission for Markets and Competition (Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia, CNMC)

Address: Alcalá 47, 28014 Madrid, Spain
Contact via email
Phone: +34 91 432 9600
Website