European Broadband Competence Offices Network Support Facility
Inspired by experiences shared by peers in the BCO Network, Cyprus made use of the EU’s De Minimis Regulation to launch its €620,000 scheme, providing vouchers amounting to 30% of the annual connection cost per subscription, up to a maximum of €360 per year. Cyprus’s four major operators were able to participate, benefiting from a maximum of €200,000 each over three years, in accordance with the EU De Minimis Regulation. Mr Himonas went on to say that “the procedure was simple and straightforward, and the programme was received positively by both operators and the market”.
While the scheme ran, it subsidised three quarters of all new connections (or upgrades) to speeds of at least 100 Mbps during that period.
As Mr Himonas notes, “availability and take-up of high-speed broadband are key elements for the creation of a Gigabit society”. Mr Himonas concludes by underlining how, “throughout this transformation process, collaboration within the EU context, and the BCO Network in particular, is important to achieving our common goals for the European Gigabit Society”.
Find out more
- Video series on broadband and digital projects in the EU
- Information on EU funding for broadband
- Information on technical assistance for broadband
- The status of connectivity in your area: the European Broadband Mapping Portal
Contributor
European Broadband Competence Offices Network Support Facility