The European countries continue to make great strides in fiber optic deployment it means. Spain is one of the most advanced countries in this process, where it has been, above all, private initiative that has been carrying cables of fiber to millions households in recent years. However, the EU has reviewed the aid received and affirms that, although progress is being made in deployments at a good pace, it has not done as well as it should be.
The evaluation published today by the European Commission concludes that, in general, the current rules for fiber deployment they are working well and are adequate for what these deployments require. However, they also state that some adjustments may be necessary to adapt the current rules to technological advances and align them with the objectives of the EU 2025 Gigabit Society and the 2030 Digital Compass.
First revision of laws in eight years
The objective of this evaluation process is to determine how current regulations have influenced the deployment of networks with a minimum cost, including the facilities that have been given to carry out deployments, or the limitations to the possible lack of competition in some countries or areas.
The conclusions of the evaluation are clear, stating that the current legal framework facilitates deployments and competition, and has enabled a significant deployment and adoption of new generation networks with speeds of more than 100 Mbps.
However, they have also determined that some changes are necessary. For example, some concepts such as mapping, public consultation or wholesale prices. They also recommend simplifying some concepts and content, as well as making some adjustments to reflect current EU priorities. They also want the use of government aid for deployments to be better detailed, as well as the minimum speeds to be increased to reach figures of 1 Gbps.
Gigabit society: the great goal of the EU
Following this assessment, the European Commission will analyze the results and take them into account when reviewing current laws. In the coming weeks, the Commission will publish a roadmap for deployments, and will publish the first draft in fall 2021. The main objective of the new changes will be that public authorities have greater power to guarantee that there is a correct digital transformation in the European Union.
The laws that are currently in use began to be applied in 2013, and have made it possible to achieve the objectives for the Digital Agenda and the Europe 2020 Strategy. However, much has changed in the last eight years, and therefore it is now necessary to review various objectives, such as ensuring 1 Gbps speed to as many citizens as possible. The pandemic has shown that it is necessary for all households to have access to high-speed Internet connections to allow teleworking, as well as to consume content of the best quality.
