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In County Offaly, the European Commission, the Irish government and the County Council are coming together to install WiFi4EU hotspots and ensure access to connectivity for all citizens.

A study launched in 2017 by Europacable has found that fibre is the most energy efficient technology for broadband access networks, compared with DSL, xDSL, vectoring and DOCSIS. Per capita per year, performing at 50 Mbps, fibre networks consume 56 kWh compared to 88 kWh for DOCSIS – a carbon emission equivalent of 1.7 tons for fibre compared to 2.7 tons for DOCSIS. The higher the speed of connectivity, the greater the difference in energy consumption. Fibre’s reliance on fewer intermediate devices and amplifiers than other technologies facilitates its energy efficiency.

Finland has been awarded 53 WiFi4EU vouchers. Learn more about how municipalities are capitalising on free public connectivity to improve well-being.

For the stunning Greek municipality of Skiathos, the EUR 15,000 WiFi4EU voucher came as a great opportunity to improve connectivity and promote the cultural heritage and natural beauties of the area.

Estonia has been awarded 52 WiFi4EU vouchers. Learn more about how free connectivity is contributing to inclusiveness and equality.

The Greek municipality of Tinos is the proud winner of a EUR 15,000 WiFi4EU voucher, which allowed the Local Council to bring connectivity to both touristic and remote areas in the island.

As “5G’s great potential brings some security challenges”, the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity – ENISA – has published a study on the “Threat landscape for 5G networks” as well as contributed to the “EU 5G Toolbox”. In this video interview, Dr. Louis Marinos, ENISA Senior Risk Management Expert, explains the key measures and recommendations for creating and running secure 5G networks.

The Connecting Europe Broadband Fund (CEBF) contributes to the achievement of the European Gigabit Society objectives mainly in underserved areas. The fund, which had its first closing in June 2018 with EUR 420 million of committed capital, had a second closing in July 2020, with two new institutional investors joining for a total of EUR 50 million, hence raising the total assets of the fund one step closer to the original target of EUR 500 million. By providing the initial capital needed by project promoters, the CEBF helps them getting additional financing and expand their project further.

The European Commission has launched a public consultation inviting Member States and other stakeholders to provide their views and comments on the existing EU State aid rules on public support for the deployment of broadband networks. The public consultation is part of an overall evaluation by the Commission of the relevant rules with a view to assess whether they are still fit purpose or whether they will need to be updated in light of recent technological and market developments. All interested parties can respond to the public consultation until 5 January 2021.