What is the project scope?

The EU-funded Rural Broadband project provides broadband infrastructure coverage and affordable connectivity services to those living in the remote, (mountainous, island and less-favored areas consisting of remote residential apartments) regions of Greece. This benefits over 525 000 citizens in 5 077 villages across Greece. Due to their small populations, rural areas have long been ignored by private telecommunication companies. As a result, they have experienced a significant digital divide – which has had a substantial effect on business activity and social wellbeing. To bridge this gap, a public-private partnership has provided these areas with broadband infrastructure.

The Project is a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in the form of BOT (Build, Operate, Transfer) for the provision of wholesale broadband services to telecommunications providers utilizing the infrastructure (network) that will be developed under the Project. It is the largest PPP project in the telecommunications sector in the country both in terms of budget and scope.

What are the immediate benefits?

The project promotes the upgrade of the Greek periphery, contributing to new forms of successful social, cultural, agricultural and sustainable environmental development, securing social inclusion and territorial cohesion, economic growth, viability and digital business productivity, while at the same time, by preventing economic activity relocation, it facilitates agricultural production and encourages people to conduct their businesses from their birthplace.

The project’s biggest benefit is that it has closed the digital divide, reducing the distance between rural and urban and improving the quality of life for everyone. More than 5,000 settlements and about 500,000 thousand of our fellow citizens have access to high speed internet and broadband services such as: telemedicine, teleworking, distance education, added value services (e.g. information, leisure and trade), IP TV, Video and Music on demand, with speeds that will reach 50 Mbps download/30 Mbps upload. By better connecting rural areas to urban centres, this project helps ensure social inclusion and territorial cohesion.

The main benefits of the Project are the following:

• Reduction of the “broadband gap” between the most disadvantaged areas of Greece (white rural areas) and the areas of the rest of the country where broadband services are already offered.
• Contribution to the National Next Generation Broadband Access Plan
• Contribution to meeting the goals set by the Digital Agenda 2020
• Strengthening employment by stimulating local entrepreneurship
• Increasing the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises
• Enhancing tourism in intervention areas
• Strengthening e-Government
• Retention of the population even in remote areas

What are the areas covered by the project?