Serbia to focus on providing cable internet to remaining 500K households who still don't have it

Photo: Pixabay.com

The Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications - and the operator that will be selected during a publict tender, will build the communication infrastructure in the rural areas of Serbia where there is still no "landline" (cable) internet.

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As stated in the decision made by the Commission for Control of State Aid for activities related to construction, part of the funds have been allocated by the Ministry - 5,220,000 dinars, while the other part comes through a project loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in the amount of 2.1 billion dinars (2,129,400,000).

During 2017 and 2018, the Ministry, in cooperation with the EBRD, analyzed the availability of the internet, and then, last year, made a map that showed where "landline" internet network in Serbia is missing.

The results showed that more than 500,000 households in rural areas do not have "fixed" internet, because there is no economic interest for operators to development this infrastructure in these locations.

In order to enable balanced regional development, the relevant ministry decided to launch a project for the construction of broadband infrastructure, according to the decision of the Commission, which sets aside state aid of around 5.2 million dinars for activities on this project.

The incentives of the state, it is said in the decision, would enable the connection to the internet of public facilities that include at least 600 schools, i.e. public institutions, local communities and other facilities of the Republic, and bodies and units of local self-government.

According to estimates given in this document, there are approximately 90,000 households in the vicinity of these public facilities.

The obligation of the future operator is to provide free internet access service at a speed of no less than 100 megabytes per secon, in a public facility, as well as to ensure the availability of a new generation broadband access service for no less than 95% of households in a particular neighborhood.

(Telegraf Biznis)