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State of the Union 2016: Commission paves the way for more and better internet connectivity for all citizens and businesses - European Commission Press Release
- Created: 23 September 2016
Strasbourg, 14 September 2016
"We need to be connected. Our economy needs it. People need it. And we have to invest in that connectivity now." – President Juncker, State of the Union 2016
On the occasion of President Juncker’s 2016 State of the Union address, the Commission today proposed an ambitious overhaul of EU telecoms rules with new initiatives to meet Europeans' growing connectivity needs and boost Europe's competitiveness. These proposals will encourage investment in very high-capacity networks and accelerate public access to Wi-Fi for Europeans.
At work, at home or on the move, Europeans expect an internet connection that is fast and reliable. Encouraging investments in very high-capacity networks is increasingly important for education, healthcare, manufacturing or transport. To meet these challenges and prepare Europe's digital future, the Commission has today put forward three strategic connectivity objectives for 2025:
- All main socio-economic drivers, such as schools, universities, research centres, transport hubs, all providers of public services such as hospitals and administrations, and enterprises relying on digital technologies, should have access to extremely high - gigabit - connectivity (allowing users to download/upload 1 gigabit of data per second).
- All European households, rural or urban, should have access to connectivity offering a download speed of at least 100 Mbps, which can be upgraded to Gbps.
- All urban areas as well as major roads and railways should have uninterrupted 5G coverage, the fifth generation of wireless communication systems. As an interim target, 5G should be commercially available in at least one major city in each EU Member State by 2020.
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