Govt to offer cellcos EUR500m under ‘5G Red Activas’ programme

The Spanish government is launching a new aid programme designed to extend 5G connectivity in thousands of towns across the country, with the initiative reportedly worth EUR500 million (USD544 million). According to elEconomista, the ‘5G Redes Activas’ programme will launch at the end of September and will help cellcos with 5G networks to expand their coverage in towns with fewer than 10,000 people. The funding for the programme has been supported by the EU and comes on top of the EUR500 million ‘Fiber Optic Backhaul’ call already awarded in mid-July.

Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure, Marra Gonzalez Veracruz, is quoted as saying: ‘We have managed to break the fixed digital divide, eliminating the connection differences that existed between urban and rural areas and advancing an objective planned for June 2023-2025’. She went on to note: ‘In this way … we will be able to connect wherever we live, in any corner of Spain, whether by fibre or via satellite, thanks to an investment of more than EUR1 billion in fibre and EUR70 million in satellite connections.’ Among other opportunities available via the initiative, 5G Redes Activas should encourage the creation of ‘Temporary Business Unions’ with operators with rights to use 5G frequencies.