In order to reduce the digital gap between urban areas and the most depopulated rural areas, the Executive will reserve a percentage of the Next Generation Funds to improve broadband internet connection in Spain .
What is the Único-Banda ancha program?
In order to materialize its intention of bringing ultra-fast broadband to all towns in Spain, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation has designed the Único-Banda Ancha program , also known as the Program for the Universalization of Digital Infrastructures for Territorial Cohesion.
This proposal to improve the digitalisation of our entire territory consists of a package of aid valued at 249 million euros and which is intended to subsidise 52% of the cost of this new infrastructure network. However, in order to fully implement the plan, internet companies and operators will have to assume the rest of the cost of installing broadband in the towns.
Bringing high-speed internet to homes and businesses
In numerical terms and to give us an idea of the commitment bitcoin data implicit in this proposal, the Único program aims to bring high-speed Internet connection to 1.27 million homes and businesses , which currently lack a fast connection.
To this end, a total of 52 grants have been approved, which are present in different provinces across Spain and which seek to improve the connection of hundreds of thousands of people.
Evolution of broadband coverage in Spain
The Único-Banda Ancha plan would then put an end to the division between white and grey zones that currently affects more than 4,000 Spanish municipalities. This categorisation is used to designate Spanish towns and villages that do not even have access to a 30 megabit connection.
For this reason, it is expected that once the execution of the Single Broadband program is completed:
Year 2023 : 95% of the Spanish territory has access to an internet connection of at least 100 Mbps.
Year 2025 : The Executive wants to end the program with 100% of homes and businesses with access to high-speed internet.
As for the companies in charge of bringing broadband to the so-called empty Spain, Telefónica is the one that has taken the cake. Thanks to its extensive infrastructure network , the operator will be responsible for executing 80% of the installations, while the remaining 20% will be shared between Avatel and Adamo. The latter will be responsible for the installation in Zamora, Toledo, Tarragona, Cantabria, Huelva and Palencia, while Avatel will be responsible for regions such as Guadalajara, Malaga, Albacete and Cordoba. The rest of the territory will be the task of Telefónica.