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Europe’s digital transformation by 2030 relies on providing citizens with access to a gigabit connectivity and 5G services. Europe digital decade begins with the relaunch of European Broadband Awards for 2021! All projects advanced in implementation, big or small, rural or urban, private or public, local, regional, national or cross-border, and covering all technologies are welcome to apply for the 2021 awards. The application deadline is the 17th of September 2021. The winners will receive an EU Broadband Award in the Autumn and will be showcased by the European Commission in the media, EU websites, newsletters and in the broadband good practices database.

In order to bring significant improvement to the digitalisation of the cargo and cruising industry in the North of Europe, the German regional Broadband Competence Office (BCO) of Lower Saxony launched a mobile connectivity project deploying 5G infrastructure in the Bay of Germany in the North Sea. As Peer Beyersdorff explains in this video, conditions at sea and the Earth’s curvature make mobile telecommunication challenging. The project serves one of the busiest sea routes in the world, enabling safer passage, more reliable communication and important services for both trade and tourism.

The European Commission welcomes the agreement reached by the European Parliament and the Council on the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) proposal, worth €33.7 billion, as part of the next long-term EU budget 2021-2027.

The Commission recently presented a vision, targets and avenues for a successful digital transformation of Europe by 2030. This is also critical to achieve the transition towards a climate neutral, circular and resilient economy. The EU's ambition is to be digitally sovereign in an open and interconnected world, and to pursue digital policies that empower people and businesses to seize a human centred, sustainable and more prosperous digital future. This includes addressing vulnerabilities and dependencies as well as accelerating investment.

This report summarises the informal views expressed by participants on new drivers for network deployment, on persisting problems and proposed solutions and on permit-granting procedures.

Known as one of Hungary’s capitals of wine, Villány is a municipality located in the southernmost region of the country and it gives name to the renowned red wine. Underneath its sun-kissed vineyards lies Villány’s knack for digital tourism and commitment to becoming a Smart City. The WiFi4EU team spoke with Mayor István Mayer and Deputy Gabriella Bojcsev to discover more about how WiFi4EU fits in the digital plan of the town.

Copernicus – the EU’s Earth Observation and Monitoring Programme – analyses our planet and its environment for the benefit of European citizens. Large volumes of data flow in from satelites, land and marine systems and provide important insights on weather modelling, climate change and more to both public and private entities, for free. To do this, Copernicus relies heavily on good connectivity, as described by Dr. Fernando Belda-Esplugues in this video.

Ireland has been awarded 114 WiFi4EU vouchers. Learn more about how the national government and local authorities have partnered up with the European Commission to ensure connectivity for all.