The Council of Ministers has given free rein this Tuesday to the call for aid from the Single Rural Demand program, which guarantees access to a broadband connection of at least 100 Mbps and at a price of 35 euros per month for users, in those areas where there is no access to networks of at least 50 Mpbs.
The objective is to close the digital gap in rural Spain and provide access, especially in municipalities with a low population density, dispersed and remote, where access to fiber is expensive and complicated, through a satellite technology solution.
As explained by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, "after analyzing the reports from the Evaluation Commission and the provisional resolution proposal, the Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures has definitively resolved the granting of these aids to Hispasat of 76.3 million euros, which will allow the configuration of the platform necessary to provide ultra-fast connectivity and defray the costs of installation and acquisition of equipment associated with the registration of the end user (up to a maximum of 600 euros per customer)”
The regulated rate for the end user is 35 euros per month for a service of at least 100 Mbps until December 31, 2027. Hispasat estimates that more than 1.3 million homes and companies throughout the territory will be able to benefit from this service, which is expected to become operational in June.
Once it is up and running, interested citizens will be able to contact the operators that have signed an agreement with Hispasat to request this service.
Program for the Universalization of Digital Infrastructures for Cohesion The Program for the Universalization of Digital Infrastructures for Cohesion (UNICO) serves as a framework for different calls for aid, including UNICO Rural Demand, which facilitate the universalization of access to ultra-fast broadband and the extension of 5G in Spain. This program is part of the Digital Spain 2026 Agenda of the Recovery Plan, which aims to achieve 100 Mbps broadband coverage for 100% of the population by 2025.
The latest broadband coverage report from the Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures, with data as of June 30, 2022, indicates that 9 out of 10 homes and companies in the territory had access to fixed broadband networks of at least 100Mbps; in rural areas, it was 7 out of 10 households and businesses.
With the latest consolidated data, the connectivity gap between rural and urban municipalities has been reduced to less than half, going from 42.5 points in 2018, compared to 18 points in June 2022.
