The EU is investing €865 million in digital infrastructure. By 2027, under the umbrella of Connecting Europe (CEF) Digital, connection infrastructure should be improved, in particular, The EU Commission announced on WednesdaySpecifically, the funds will be used to deploy and expand 5G connections in Europe, modernize backbone networks, as well as reduce energy consumption. With the Work Programme, the EU offers the possibility of co-financing large-scale projects that promote the rollout of gigabit infrastructure and independent 5G infrastructure. The EU also wants to use the pot to finance the integration of edge cloud and computing capabilities in sectors such as health, manufacturing, transport and logistics.
Advertisement
The projects aim to bring the EU closer to the Digital Decade of 2030. Then every citizen and company should be connected to 5G and gigabit systems. “By supporting public and private investment, CEF contributes to connectivity projects of common interest to the Digital EU and the development of reliable, secure and sustainable high-performance infrastructure, such as gigabit and 5G networks across the EU,” the Commission explains.
Submarine cables must become more flexible
Another plan is to modernize the backbone network. These include quantum communication networks and submarine cables, which should be more powerful and flexible in the future. The EU wants to improve the capacity of networks established within Member States, but also of networks that connect the EU to third countries.
The Commission names plans to introduce operational digital platforms for transport or energy infrastructure as the third key investment point. Platforms should aim to optimize energy consumption and reduce environmental impact of information and communication technologies (ICT). “These operational digital platforms will be based on existing and emerging European data, cloud and edge computing and connectivity infrastructure,” the Commission said. There should also be links with others funded by the Digital Europe and Horizon Europe programmes.
The EU hopes that this work program will make it more digitally competitive. Earlier there was a paper on important geo-political and geo-economic challenges. The EU wants to close the investment gap that stands in the way of building efficient networks by mobilizing public and private funds.
collect suggestions
Subsequently, the Commission will collect proposals under the Digital Europe programme. “Interested stakeholders can also attend post-launch information days to learn more about the priorities and key aspects of the call, as well as the assessment and awards processes.”
To date, the Connecting Europe Digital Program has funded 65 projects. It contains 30 Backbone Connectivity Projects To promote 17 projects, for Digital Global Gateways 5G for smart communities and 18 projects in the field of cross-border 5G networking. Up to two billion euros are expected to flow into connection infrastructure by 2027.
read this also
(Are)
