• Spain will receive 88.3 million in European funds to expand broadband in rural areas.
• The program, dubbed "Unique Rural Demand," seeks to bring connectivity to rural areas through alternatives beyond fiber optics.
• The funds for Spain come from the "Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan"

The European Commission has approved an aid package worth €88.3 million—allocated under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF)—to support the provision of broadband services in rural areas of Spain. The aid scheme contributes to the EU's strategic objectives related to the digital transition .

The aid scheme, which will run until 31 December 2027, is designed as a temporary solution to facilitate and accelerate access to effective fixed-broadband services at affordable prices. The aid will support the provision of wholesale services and, on this basis, affordable retail broadband services at a fixed location with a download speed of at least 100 Mbps and an upload speed of 5 Mbps. The aid will be implemented in remote, dispersed, and sparsely populated rural areas where coverage at such speeds at affordable prices is unavailable.

Under the scheme, aid will take the form of direct subsidies to electronic telecommunications providers.

Context

Broadband connectivity is key to Europe's growth across all sectors of the economy and to social and territorial cohesion.

The new aid scheme is the fourth measure approved by the Commission within the framework of the Spanish “Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan” (PRTR) for investment projects in the electronic telecommunications sector:

1. On 17 October 2022, the Commission approved a Spanish scheme to support the deployment of broadband backhaul networks in rural areas .
2. On 14 June 2021, the Commission approved an extension of a Spanish scheme supporting access to high-speed broadband services in underserved areas .
3. On 15 December 2021, the Commission approved a support scheme for the deployment of passive infrastructure for mobile networks .

This program is complemented by the "Único Banda Ancha" program's support for the deployment of fiber optics in rural areas and the recently approved support for connecting telecommunications towers in rural areas with fiber optics, a key step in deploying 5G in towns and low-density areas. The government's goal is to have the entire territory covered by 2025 with connectivity of at least 100 Mbps.