EC to Invest €865 Million Into Connectivity Networks

The Europan Commission has adopted the second Work Program for the digital part of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Digital. The program defines the scope and objectives of EU-funded actions to improve Europe's digital connectivity infrastructures. These actions will receive around €865 million of funding from 2024 to 2027.

Improving connectivity infrastructure is fundamental for achieving European 2030 Digital Decade objectives to connect all citizens and businesses with 5G and gigabit connectivity. By fostering public and private investments, CEF Digital contributes to connectivity projects of common EU interest and to the deployment of safe, secure, and sustainable high-performance infrastructure, such as Gigabit and 5G networks, across the EU.

The new CEF Digital Work Program will support actions in the deployment of 5G infrastructures in Europe, the deployment and significant upgrade of backbone networks, and the deployment of operational digital platforms for transport or energy infrastructures. EC will co-finance large-scale projects promoting the rollout of Gigabit and standalone 5G infrastructures, as well as the integration of edge cloud and computing capabilities in vertical sectoral applications, such as health, manufacturing, transport, and logistics. The improvement of backbone networks includes quantum communication networks and submarine cables, to increase the performance, resilience, and capacity of connectivity networks within and between Member States, as well as between the EU and third countries. The Ec will also support optimizing the energy use of ICT and reducing its environmental impact.

The second CEF Digital Work Program will also help stimulate the competitiveness of the European digital ecosystem to address the critical geopolitical and geoeconomic challenges. CEF Digital also aims to increase the capacity, security, and resilience of digital backbone networks, in particular submarine cables. Moreover, it will contribute to leveraging public and private resources to tackle the investment gap that hinders the rollout of high-performance networks, essential for the take-up of advanced technologies by citizens and businesses.

With a budget of up to €2 billion until 2027, under the Connecting Europe Facility Digital program, the first two sets of calls so far funded 65 projects, including 30 backbone connectivity projects for the Digital Global Gateways, 17 projects promoting 5G for Smart Communities, and 18 projects in the area of 5G cross-border corridors. CEF Digital supports Europe's digital transformation and is part of the overall Connecting Europe Facility program, which promotes investment in trans-European digital, transport, and energy networks, worth €33.7 billion from 2021 to 2027.